The notion that language is a system of signs is explored in the context of Mandarin Chinese.We use the Peircean Sign,derived from the Peircean ontological categories Firstness,Secondness,and Thirdness,as an interpret...The notion that language is a system of signs is explored in the context of Mandarin Chinese.We use the Peircean Sign,derived from the Peircean ontological categories Firstness,Secondness,and Thirdness,as an interpretive framework.Because Mandarin Chinese is both well-documented and comparatively opaque to foreign influences,it presents an ideal case study for the formation of semiotic structures based on the operation of a single Peircean Category-sign(in contrast to English,which,with much higher levels of foreign contact-induced change,would be expected to involve a broad mixture of various semiotic influences).We examine semiotic structures in Chinese at the featural/phonological,lexical,and morphosyntactic levels,as well as the inventory of written characters.We conclude that the primary constraint that conditions semiotic structures in Chinese is the Peircean category Firstness of Secondness/[12].We also show how this conditioning constraint imposes a semiotic and structural consistency across different levels of language,and how it helps to explain certain evolutionary characteristics of Chinese.展开更多
Based on previous published work on(Mandarin)Chinese,and following a discussion of the properties of the Peircean ontological Categories Firstness,Secondness,and Thirdness(as well as their"degenerate"or deri...Based on previous published work on(Mandarin)Chinese,and following a discussion of the properties of the Peircean ontological Categories Firstness,Secondness,and Thirdness(as well as their"degenerate"or derivative versions)and their applicability to sign systems,in general,I examine evidence for paradigmatic and syntagmatic structuring,conditioned by these Categories,in Mandarin Chinese,Sora,Tamil,and Sanskrit,languages chosen because of the typological divergence amongst them,and because of the author's familiarity with them and with their respective cultural milieus.The paradigmatic and syntagmatic structures identified arise in the presence of what I term positive and negative conditioning constraints arising from the Categories themselves,and which are shown to operate at three different levels in language,the morphosyntactic,the lexical,and the phonological.Because of this,a methodology grounded in Peircean semiotic structures is shown to have the explanatory potential to allow for a unified model of language structure,in general.展开更多
Most constructions in Iranian cities today neglect the traditional principles of design,particularly the rules on spatial hierarchy.This interdisciplinary study deploys cinematic analysis to understand the multidimens...Most constructions in Iranian cities today neglect the traditional principles of design,particularly the rules on spatial hierarchy.This interdisciplinary study deploys cinematic analysis to understand the multidimensional aspects of architectural spaces and to investigate the different functions of the"central courtyard,"an important space in traditional Iranian architecture.In addition,this study demonstrates how films provide a perspective for architects to improve their understanding of the dynamics of space.A semiotic analysis of two films,namely,"The Deer"(1974)and"Mum's Guest"(2004),reveals that the central courtyard creates a sequence between public and private realms and,as a semi-private space,provides time and opportunities for residents to react to outside events.Spatial fluidity and connectivity,collaborative activities,and empathy can be the other outcomes of this space,in which residents become familiar with one another's lives.展开更多
Semiotics,mostly as a theory of meaning,has a long history both in China and in the West.Although there had been little interaction between these two independent traditions before the 20th century,we can fi nd some in...Semiotics,mostly as a theory of meaning,has a long history both in China and in the West.Although there had been little interaction between these two independent traditions before the 20th century,we can fi nd some interesting similarities and differences in their semiotic thoughts that continue to influence how we conceptualize things today.Contemporary China,for example,is widely seen as being characterized by a Marxist epistemology which was imported from the West,but a close examination shows that this dominant theory of knowledge is as much a product of its own native tradition of ontological realism propounded by Ouyang Jian 17 centuries ago.With the advent of globalization of semiotics in the 20th century,Chinese and Western scholars are now able to take direct advantage of each other’s theoretical resources which often result in new insights critical to the advancement of human knowledge.Two examples of such East-West interaction are Peirce’s trichotomy of signs being appropriated for the classification of Chinese characters and Qian Zhongshu’s"sides-andhandles theory of metaphor"serving as a critique of the bewildered and bewildering cognitive science championed by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson.It is in this sense that semiotics is becoming increasingly global or cross-cultural on top of its interdisciplinary trademark.展开更多
Nicholas Jose has been advocating "transcultural writing" for more than three decades, with Avenue of Eternal Peace(1989) as an early part of his practice. In 1990, Avenue was short-listed for the Miles Fran...Nicholas Jose has been advocating "transcultural writing" for more than three decades, with Avenue of Eternal Peace(1989) as an early part of his practice. In 1990, Avenue was short-listed for the Miles Franklin Prize but failed to win this Australian national award. Judged by Chinese semiotician Zhao Yiheng's reception model of narratives, this is a "message blocked" case. Using the framework of Roman Jakobson's communication model, this paper reinterprets the six constitutive factors and functions to investigate the elements that blocked the message. My main argument is that "contact", "context", and "code" jointly blocked the communication; the three Cs reflect three long-standing problems in Australian literature: the issue of cultural identity, the dark side of White Australian Dream, and the Orientalist representation of "the other" culture. The failure in literary communication analyzed also suggests that Wally's perception of China follows a Saussurean dichotomy which presupposes a closed linguistic system and excludes the role of the subject and the extra-semiotic object in signification. The Peircean trichotomy better captures the process of concept formation and is a better approach to transcultural writing in the contemporary postmodern situation. Transcultural writing challenges its readers; we need to transcend our confined nationality and persistent prejudice, and develop adequate "transnational literacy" to appreciate this new form of cultural production.展开更多
This essay offers(1)a critical appraisal of the concept of‘frames,’but with(2)a sympathetic view toward George Lakoff’s appropriation of the concept in his analysis of the‘war of words’that continues to affect th...This essay offers(1)a critical appraisal of the concept of‘frames,’but with(2)a sympathetic view toward George Lakoff’s appropriation of the concept in his analysis of the‘war of words’that continues to affect the current political scene.It argues(3)a combination of(1)and(2)would reveal some limitations of Lakoff’s prevailing‘textualist’—or‘language-centric’—approach,in light of Charles S.Peirce’s semiotic theory.展开更多
文摘The notion that language is a system of signs is explored in the context of Mandarin Chinese.We use the Peircean Sign,derived from the Peircean ontological categories Firstness,Secondness,and Thirdness,as an interpretive framework.Because Mandarin Chinese is both well-documented and comparatively opaque to foreign influences,it presents an ideal case study for the formation of semiotic structures based on the operation of a single Peircean Category-sign(in contrast to English,which,with much higher levels of foreign contact-induced change,would be expected to involve a broad mixture of various semiotic influences).We examine semiotic structures in Chinese at the featural/phonological,lexical,and morphosyntactic levels,as well as the inventory of written characters.We conclude that the primary constraint that conditions semiotic structures in Chinese is the Peircean category Firstness of Secondness/[12].We also show how this conditioning constraint imposes a semiotic and structural consistency across different levels of language,and how it helps to explain certain evolutionary characteristics of Chinese.
文摘Based on previous published work on(Mandarin)Chinese,and following a discussion of the properties of the Peircean ontological Categories Firstness,Secondness,and Thirdness(as well as their"degenerate"or derivative versions)and their applicability to sign systems,in general,I examine evidence for paradigmatic and syntagmatic structuring,conditioned by these Categories,in Mandarin Chinese,Sora,Tamil,and Sanskrit,languages chosen because of the typological divergence amongst them,and because of the author's familiarity with them and with their respective cultural milieus.The paradigmatic and syntagmatic structures identified arise in the presence of what I term positive and negative conditioning constraints arising from the Categories themselves,and which are shown to operate at three different levels in language,the morphosyntactic,the lexical,and the phonological.Because of this,a methodology grounded in Peircean semiotic structures is shown to have the explanatory potential to allow for a unified model of language structure,in general.
文摘Most constructions in Iranian cities today neglect the traditional principles of design,particularly the rules on spatial hierarchy.This interdisciplinary study deploys cinematic analysis to understand the multidimensional aspects of architectural spaces and to investigate the different functions of the"central courtyard,"an important space in traditional Iranian architecture.In addition,this study demonstrates how films provide a perspective for architects to improve their understanding of the dynamics of space.A semiotic analysis of two films,namely,"The Deer"(1974)and"Mum's Guest"(2004),reveals that the central courtyard creates a sequence between public and private realms and,as a semi-private space,provides time and opportunities for residents to react to outside events.Spatial fluidity and connectivity,collaborative activities,and empathy can be the other outcomes of this space,in which residents become familiar with one another's lives.
文摘Semiotics,mostly as a theory of meaning,has a long history both in China and in the West.Although there had been little interaction between these two independent traditions before the 20th century,we can fi nd some interesting similarities and differences in their semiotic thoughts that continue to influence how we conceptualize things today.Contemporary China,for example,is widely seen as being characterized by a Marxist epistemology which was imported from the West,but a close examination shows that this dominant theory of knowledge is as much a product of its own native tradition of ontological realism propounded by Ouyang Jian 17 centuries ago.With the advent of globalization of semiotics in the 20th century,Chinese and Western scholars are now able to take direct advantage of each other’s theoretical resources which often result in new insights critical to the advancement of human knowledge.Two examples of such East-West interaction are Peirce’s trichotomy of signs being appropriated for the classification of Chinese characters and Qian Zhongshu’s"sides-andhandles theory of metaphor"serving as a critique of the bewildered and bewildering cognitive science championed by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson.It is in this sense that semiotics is becoming increasingly global or cross-cultural on top of its interdisciplinary trademark.
文摘Nicholas Jose has been advocating "transcultural writing" for more than three decades, with Avenue of Eternal Peace(1989) as an early part of his practice. In 1990, Avenue was short-listed for the Miles Franklin Prize but failed to win this Australian national award. Judged by Chinese semiotician Zhao Yiheng's reception model of narratives, this is a "message blocked" case. Using the framework of Roman Jakobson's communication model, this paper reinterprets the six constitutive factors and functions to investigate the elements that blocked the message. My main argument is that "contact", "context", and "code" jointly blocked the communication; the three Cs reflect three long-standing problems in Australian literature: the issue of cultural identity, the dark side of White Australian Dream, and the Orientalist representation of "the other" culture. The failure in literary communication analyzed also suggests that Wally's perception of China follows a Saussurean dichotomy which presupposes a closed linguistic system and excludes the role of the subject and the extra-semiotic object in signification. The Peircean trichotomy better captures the process of concept formation and is a better approach to transcultural writing in the contemporary postmodern situation. Transcultural writing challenges its readers; we need to transcend our confined nationality and persistent prejudice, and develop adequate "transnational literacy" to appreciate this new form of cultural production.
文摘This essay offers(1)a critical appraisal of the concept of‘frames,’but with(2)a sympathetic view toward George Lakoff’s appropriation of the concept in his analysis of the‘war of words’that continues to affect the current political scene.It argues(3)a combination of(1)and(2)would reveal some limitations of Lakoff’s prevailing‘textualist’—or‘language-centric’—approach,in light of Charles S.Peirce’s semiotic theory.
