Volume 10, Issue 4

This article adopts a Social Semiotic perspective to meaning-making in theater, contending that such an approach is essential for comprehensively addressing the intricate interrelations among the diverse sign systems inherent to the theatrical domain. While existing scholarly literature acknowledges the complex nature of meaning construction in theater and underscores the importance of analyzing the interplay between various sign systems, there exists a notable paucity of in-depth explanations regarding the systematic modeling and further exploration of these interrelationships. Recognizing this gap, the present study endeavors to bridge this gap by demonstrating the efficacy of incorporating a Social Semiotic framework into the current discourse on theater semiotics. Through a comparative analysis of English and Persian renditions of Robert Bolt’s play A Man for All Seasons , this research illustrates the applicability of such a perspective in enhancing the understanding of meaning-making in theater as a rich multimodal text. The findings demonstrate that a Social Semiotic framework not only acknowledges the pivotal role of inter- and intramodal interactions in theatrical meaning-making but also offers a comprehensive toolkit for interrogating such interactions more effectively.

The pandemic has attracted extensive media attention around the world. In reports on the pandemic, metaphors are widely used to frame pandemic events through cross-domain mappings. Based on critical metaphor analysis, this study examines the metaphors in pandemic reports published in China Daily , the largest government-owned English-language newspaper in China and explores the metaphorical construction of China’s anti-pandemic image. We find more than 13 metaphor varieties, among which, the metaphors of war, journey, and family and friend are dominant. Through these metaphors, China is largely constructed as a people-oriented, united, resilient, responsible, and friendly country as well as a victim of political stigmatization. We argue that the stance and ideology of China Daily and the international background of infodemic influence the representation of China’s anti-pandemic image.

Cognitive-oriented work on simile has developed out of attempts to pinpoint features distinguishing simile and metaphor. This development has had such consequences as 1) focusing on simile as an analogy-based process and 2) giving very little attention to the way simile and metaphor work together, treating them as independent rather than cooperating phenomena. Addressing these shortcomings, this study examines the ability of non-ironic like -simile to imply contrasts between the asserted source-target similarity and a thought or belief evoked by this similarity, giving rise to context-bound attitudinal and illocutionary implications. In cases of like -simile scaffolded by metaphors, the contrast-based process arises from the cooperation of the two phenomena in the sense that the scenario created by the like -simile rests on manipulating the conceptual metaphor(s) supporting the comparison. The analysis of these cases is placed in the Extended Conceptual Metaphor Theory (ECMT) – a contextual, multilevel theory of figurative language conceptualisation. The contrast-based process, drawn from the model of irony developed within the Lexical Constructional Model (LCM), is added to this theory as a mental-space level activity. Raykowski’s sensory schema (a generalized notion of accumulation intuitions) is also added above the image-schema level metaphors, presenting the manipulation of the scaffolding metaphors as based on the expression of this schema.

Lotmanian cultural dynamics involve change through textual interaction. Texts, offering vehicles for information, play a central role in this, with cultural change happening in two modes: gradual and explosive instances of texts that alter the semiosphere. This paper focuses on the process of explosion–an unpredictable mode of change in Lotmanian theory–through a metaphorical methodology, by introducing the concept of semiotic bomb. A semiotic bomb works here as a theoretical object that tries to harness the effect of explosion within the semiosphere. The concept of semiotic bomb serves as both a way to examine what is necessary for explosion to happen and as a theoretical exercise in attempting to predict the unpredictable in culture. We contend that cultural change must be understood in terms of sign configurations and information transmission through Charles Morris’s behavioral semiotics, and that this basis works as a complement of Juri Lotman’s cultural dynamics by grounding textual information on behavioral change and resignification. Taking a note from information and semiotic warfare, we look at what it takes for culture to foster change through the prism of Lotman’s theory, and how we could conceptualize intentional change through information manipulation and presentation. The paper offers a novel look into the logic of explosion within the semiotic theory of Juri Lotman and proposes conceptual avenues for exploring, analyzing and tentatively implementing the concept of explosion by the proposed idea of a semiotic bomb.

This paper introduces a theory of mind that positions language as a cognitive tool in its own right for the optimization of biological fitness. I argue that human language reconstruction of reality results from biological memory and adaptation to uncertain environmental conditions for the reaffirmation of the Self-as-symbol. I demonstrate that pretrained language models, such as ChatGPT, lack embodied grounding, which compromises their ability to adequately model the world through language due to the absence of subjecthood and conscious states for event recognition and partition. At a deep level, I challenge the notion that the constitution of a semiotic Self relies on computational reflection , arguing against reducing human representation to data structures and emphasizing the importance of positing accurate models of human representation through language. This underscores the distinction between transformers as posthuman agents and humans as purposeful biological agents, which emphasizes the human capacity for purposeful biological adjustment and optimization. One of the main conclusions of this is that the capacity to integrate information does not amount to phenomenal consciousness as argued by Information Integration Theory . Moreover, while language models exhibit superior computational capacity, they lack the real consciousness providing them with multiscalar experience anchored in the physical world, a characteristic of human cognition. However, the paper anticipates the emergence of new in silico conceptualizers capable of defining themselves as phenomenal agents with symbolic contours and specific goals.

This study investigates the various marketing strategies employed in the malls and streets of Amman, Jordan. Specifically, it aims to identify the different methods salespeople use to attract customers’ attention to their products indirectly, and sometimes through non-verbal means. The study illustrates how the theoretical concepts of speech acts, as discussed by Searle and Grice, are utilized in the marketing strategies observed in Jordanian malls and streets. It also examines how vendors and advertisers employ language not only to convey information but also to perform actions, such as persuading or invoking cultural values, without explicitly stating their intentions. By analyzing the subtleties of language use in advertisements, product promotions, and street performances, the study reveals how indirect speech acts are employed to engage consumers, foster a sense of community, and promote products. Indirect speech acts can imply more than what is explicitly stated, adding layers of meaning that facilitate communication between the customer and the salesperson. The findings indicate that each of the products discussed in this paper, commonly found on Jordanian streets, in shops, and in malls, has a unique marketing discourse crafted and employed by business owners or their staff to attract customers. Overall, indirect speech acts in Jordanian malls and streets reflect a sophisticated form of communication that is deeply rooted in local cultural and social practices, utilizing non-verbal cues such as music and scents to convey messages subtly. These methods are highly effective in achieving advertising objectives, aligning with cultural values that emphasize respect and subtlety in interpersonal interactions.

Research on identity construction among second language (L2) writers has revealed the dynamic interactions between L2 writers and the linguistic, textual, and social resources. However, how emerging scholarly writers construct their identities during their initial attempts at English research writing remains underexplored. To address this gap, the study investigated how two L2 graduate writers constructed their identities during the microprocess of writing their thesis proposals, using a symbolic interactionism perspective. Drawing on multiple data sources, the study found that, through their engagement with textual and social practices, the participants explored and interpreted their roles as scholarly writers, researchers, and graduate students. By interacting with peers, instructors, and advisors within their communities of practice, they each developed unique identities through passive or agentive role-taking and even active role-making. The findings underscore the dynamic, interactive process by which L2 graduate writers negotiated their roles and constructed their identities in the microprocesses of English research writing. The study also highlights the potential of symbolic interactionism as a framework for revealing the meanings underlying interactions between individuals and their social or textual practices.