Semiotics and Textual Studies

Semiotics (or semiology) is the science of signs or interpretive processes. Thus, as Umberto Eco (1988) noted, there are profound links between signs and interpretation, since "e;something is only a sign because it is interpreted as a sign of something by an interpreter"e; (Maurice 1983). However, contemporary semiotics has, in fact, generally developed independently of interpretation. It essentially sought to be a theory and science that classifies signs, analyzes codes, rules, systems, conventions, and so on, rather than a theory of interpretation. Only recently has the emphasis shifted towards issues of interpretation, and more generally towards a pragmatic approach to signs (Eco 1985). However, while this shift in emphasis is common to most post-structuralist systems, and given that contemporary semiotics has been highly dogmatic and sensitive to external theoretical influences, it is currently difficult to assess the long-term implications. The semiotics we will focus on here is primarily the theory of signs.