Lecture 4' Modern semioticians

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Lecture 4. Modern semioticians

• Uexkuel representative of biosemiotics
• Greimas representative of structuralism,
  linguistics

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Jakob von Uexkuel(1864-1944)

• Born in Keblaste (now Mihkli), Estonia. He
  studied zoology in the University of Tartu (then
  Dorpat).
• Sebeok, Thure von Uexkuel (son) discovered him
  as semiotician
• A representative of biological semiotics, a
  theoretical biologist.
• http//home.datacomm.ch/biografien/biografien/uexk
  uell.htm
• Jakob von Uexküll Centre. TARTU, ESTONIA (founded
  in 1993). http//www.zbi.ee/uexkull/
• He is recognised as the founder of biosemiotics
  (Theory of meaning, Bedeutungslehre, 1940).
• Biosemiotics and theoretical biology links
  (papers online) http//www.zbi.ee/kalevi/vaheleh
  t.htm
• Links http//www.zbi.ee/uexkull/link.htm
• In wikipedia. http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jakob_v
  on_UexkC3BCll
• K.Kull (2001). Jakob von Uexküll An
  introduction. Semiotica 134(1/4) 1-59.

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Semiotics of Jakob von Uexkuel main ideas

• UmweltUmwelt is the semiotic world of organism.
  It includes all the meaningful aspects of the
  world for a particular organism. Thus, Umwelt is
  a term uniting all the semiotic processes of an
  organism into a whole. Kalevi Kull. On
  semiosis, Umwelt, and semiosphere.
  http//www.zbi.ee/kalevi/jesphohp.htm
• Umwelt is a subjective world of an organism. It
  consist of the perceptual (Merkwelt) and
  operational parts (Wirkwelt).
• Functional circle. It describes interaction of an
  organism with its Umwelt.

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Functional circle of Uexkuell

• Receiver of meaning (subject) lt - gt Carrier of
  meaning (object)
• Carrier of perceptual sygnal, perceptual world,
  perceptual organ
• Carrier of effect sygnal, operational (motor)
  world, effector organ
• In Biologische Semiotik. http//homepage.ruhr-uni
  -bochum.de/Udo.Figge/texte/uexkuell.htm

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Links

• Kalevi Kull. Biosemiotics in the twentieth
  century a view from biology. Semiotica vol.
  127(1/4), pp. 385-414 (1999). http//www.zbi.ee/7
  Ekalevi/bsxxfin.htm

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Algirdas Julius Greimas

• Algirdas Julius Greimas, or Algirdas Julien
  Greimas (born March 9, 1917 in Tula, died 1992 in
  Paris), was a linguist who contributed to the
  theory of semiotics, and also researched
  Lithuanian mythology.
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algirdas_Julius_Greim
  as

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Writings

• Greimas, Algirdas. (1987). On Meaning Selected
  Writings in Semiotic Theory. (Translated by Paul
  J Perron Frank H Collins). London Frances
  Pinter.

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• Quel est l'apport d'A.J. Greimas et de l'Ecole de
  Paris ?
• A.J. Greimas et l'Ecole de Paris ont réalisé une
  synthèse cohérente d'apports très différents mais
  tous fondés sur le binarisme en linguistique,
  sociologie et ethnologie. Leur méthode est une
  référence obligée pour tout ce qui concerne les
  textes narratifs. On peut cependant émettre des
  réserves quant à sa validité pour les autres
  types de textes et des doutes pour tout ce qui
  touche aux phénomènes sémiotiques
  non-linguistiques.
• http//www.univ-perp.fr/see/rch/lts/MARTY/s020.htm
  

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Main contributions

• Algirdas Julius Greimas developed a structural
  version of semiotics named generative semiotics,
  trying to shift the focus of discipline from
  signs to systems of signification. His theories
  develop the ideas of Saussure, Hjelmslev, Claude
  Lévi-Strauss, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty.
  Semiotics. http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semiotics
  
• Semiotic square Greimas introduced the semiotic
  square as a means of mapping the logical
  conjunctions and disjunctions relating key
  semantic features in a text. If we begin by
  drawing a horizontal line linking two familiarly
  paired terms such as 'beautiful' and 'ugly', we
  turn this into a semiotic square by making this
  the upper line of a square in which the two other
  logical possibilities - 'not ugly' and 'not
  beautiful' occupy the lower corners. The semiotic
  square reminds us that this is not simply a
  binary opposition because something which is not
  beautiful is not necessarily ugly and that
  something which is not ugly is not necessarily
  beautiful. Occupying a position within such as
  framework invests a sign with meanings. The
  semiotic square can be used to highlight 'hidden'
  underlying themes in a text or practice.
  (Semiotics for Beginners )
• The semiotic square is the elementary structure
  of signification http//www.cla.purdue.edu/english
  /theory/narratology/modules/greimassquare.html

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Semiotic square

• Algirdas Greimas introduced the semiotic square
  (which he adapted from the 'logical square' of
  scholastic philosophy) as a means of analysing
  paired concepts more fully.
• The semiotic square can be used to highlight
  'hidden' underlying themes in a text or practice.
  
• From Daniel Chandler. Semiotics for Beginners.

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Examples

• http//www.cla.purdue.edu/english/theory/narratolo
  gy/modules/greimassquare.html

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Examples

• http//www.cla.purdue.edu/english/theory/narratolo
  gy/modules/greimassquare.html

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The Traditional Square of Opposition
The doctrine of the square of opposition
originated with Aristotle in the fourth century
BC and has occurred in logic texts ever since.
The square of opposition is a group of theses
embodied in a diagram. The diagram is not
essential to the theses it is just a useful way
to keep them straight. The theses concern logical
relations among four logical formsFrom
http//plato.stanford.edu/entries/square/
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The Traditional Square of Opposition
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Links (Greimas)

• THE SEMIOTICS OF A. J. GREIMAS AN INTRODUCTION.
  By MARVIN KATILIUS-BOYDSTUN. http//www.lituanus.o
  rg/1990_3/90_3_02.htm
• Timothy Lenoir. Was That Last Turn A Right Turn?
  The Semiotic Turn and A.J. Greimas from
  Configurations, Vol.2 (1994) 119-136.
  http//www.stanford.edu/dept/HPS/TimLenoir/Semioti
  cTurn.html
• The semiotic square is the elementary structure
  of signification http//www.cla.purdue.edu/english
  /theory/narratology/modules/greimassquare.html

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Roman Jakobson

• Roman Osipovich Jakobson (October 11, 1896 - July
  18, 1982) was a Russian thinker who became one of
  the most influential linguists of the 20th
  century by pioneering the development of
  structural analysis of language, poetry, and art.
  
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Jakobson

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Model of communication
Jakobson distinguishes six communication
functions, each associated with a dimension of
the communication process Dimensions 1
context 2 message 3 sender --------------- 4
receiver 5 channel 6 code Functions 1
referential ( contextual information) 2 poetic
( autotelic) 3 emotive ( self-expression) 4
conative ( vocative or imperative addressing of
receiver) 5 phatic ( checking channel working)
6 metalingual ( checking code working)
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Eco
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Assignment

• Topic Modern semioticians. Choose one or more
  semioticians.
• Compile a text from the internet search results,
  including full bibliographic descriptions of the
  entries. Analyze the text and formulate your own
  opinion on the topic
• Present it in a verbal and printed form during
  the seminar.
• Due in two weeks

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More readings

• Introductions to semiotics