The primary function of a linguistic sign is to express and convey meaning; thus meaning is a central issue in linguistic semiotics. Throughout the history of the humanities, the definition of "meaning" has ...The primary function of a linguistic sign is to express and convey meaning; thus meaning is a central issue in linguistic semiotics. Throughout the history of the humanities, the definition of "meaning" has remained controversial. From an ontological perspective, there have been varied approaches to the problem of meaning and these approaches have helped to generate different ways of understanding meaning. Hence the dyadic model, the triadic model, the semiotic triangle, the semantic trapezoid, and the semantic quadrangle. This essay proposes a hierarchical theory for the meaning of the linguistic sign, and argues that language is a system of signs with manifold layers, and the meaning of the linguistic sign is correspondingly characterized by homogeneity and complexity. In the process of meaning construction, the signifier and the signified are continuously combined, forming different layers: the sign of object(phonetic shell + reflected thing) in the deep layer, the sign of langue(phonetic word + generic thing) in the shallow layer, and the sign of parole(phonetic complex + actual thing) in the surface layer. These respectively resemble the associative name, the abstract name, and the concrete name of a thing, represent the signification, the denotation, and the referentiation of a concept, and refl ect perceptual meaning, cognitive meaning, and contextual meaning. Within the theoretical framework this essay proposes, the sign, the thing, the concept, and the semiotic meaning are the core elements which together constitute the world of meaning where the real value of the linguistic sign lies.展开更多
文摘The primary function of a linguistic sign is to express and convey meaning; thus meaning is a central issue in linguistic semiotics. Throughout the history of the humanities, the definition of "meaning" has remained controversial. From an ontological perspective, there have been varied approaches to the problem of meaning and these approaches have helped to generate different ways of understanding meaning. Hence the dyadic model, the triadic model, the semiotic triangle, the semantic trapezoid, and the semantic quadrangle. This essay proposes a hierarchical theory for the meaning of the linguistic sign, and argues that language is a system of signs with manifold layers, and the meaning of the linguistic sign is correspondingly characterized by homogeneity and complexity. In the process of meaning construction, the signifier and the signified are continuously combined, forming different layers: the sign of object(phonetic shell + reflected thing) in the deep layer, the sign of langue(phonetic word + generic thing) in the shallow layer, and the sign of parole(phonetic complex + actual thing) in the surface layer. These respectively resemble the associative name, the abstract name, and the concrete name of a thing, represent the signification, the denotation, and the referentiation of a concept, and refl ect perceptual meaning, cognitive meaning, and contextual meaning. Within the theoretical framework this essay proposes, the sign, the thing, the concept, and the semiotic meaning are the core elements which together constitute the world of meaning where the real value of the linguistic sign lies.
