True that. On Wed, Sep 17, 2008 at 11:21 AM, Spruiell, William C <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Just a side note -- while I don't, in any way, want to diminish > Augustine's role in the development of semiotics, he was hardly the > first to link a theory of signs to theories about language. The > realism/nominalism debate had been around for quite some time, and in a > sense, Augustine was constructing a Christian contextualization of the > (neo-)Platonist position -- that there's a universe of "true form" that > signs *in principle* could refer to entities in, that the actual sound > used for the sign can be arbitrary, and that humans don't perceive "true > form" directly and can therefore mess things up royally. > > If I'm remembering the historiographic material I've read correctly > (sorry, as an academic, I'm required by law to hedge at least once per > email, or at least, that's what I've been given to understand), pretty > much all medieval approaches to semiotics used Augustine as a starting > point until Aquinas, though, so he's certainly central to the field. > > > Bill Spruiell > Dept. of English > Central Michigan University > > -----Original Message----- > From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar > [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of diane skinner > Sent: Sunday, September 14, 2008 3:04 PM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Semiotics > > > The field of semiotics is fascinating. These studies have become such > an > intricate part of so many disciplines since St Augustine in On > Christian Doctrine (ca. 395 ) linked the theory of signs to a theory > of language for the practice of unraveling and interpreting the > figurative language in the Scriptures. Augustine' s principles, the > basic elements of signification, were transmitted > to the modern linguist Ferdinand De Saussure, who coined the term > "semiology." > Roland Barthes explored the semiology of fashion, advertising, and > travel. Claude Levi-Strauss studied myths and kinship systems within > different cultures as a system of signs to be interpreted. Jacques > Lacan used Saussure to reformulate Freud in linguistic terms. And > figurative signs "commuted" (to use Jacques Derrida's term) things > into signs in a process that may be, for modern theorists, > interminable--this process of commutation, however, undermines the > stable referentiality that Augustine sought. > Ah, full circle--can the world and words really be commensurate? > > Diane > > To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web > interface at: > http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html > and select "Join or leave the list" > > Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ > > To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: > http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html > and select "Join or leave the list" > > Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ > To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/