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DANESI
The Quest for Meaning
164
English
Undergraduate 3
06/06/2018

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Term
Actant is...
Definition
a unit of narration (a hero, an opponent) that surfaces in all kinds of stories
Term
Abstract concept is...
Definition
a concept that cannot be demonstrated or observed directly; it can only be imagined
Term
Addressee is...
Definition
the receiver of a message
Term
Addresser is...
Definition
the sender of a message
Term
Aesthesia is...
Definition
the experience of sensation; in art, it refers to the fact that the senses and feelings are stimulated holistically by art texts
Term
Aesthetics is...
Definition
the study of the meaning and interpretation of art in general
Term
Alliteration is...
Definition
the repetion of the initial consonant sounds or sound clusters of words
Term
Alphabet is...
Definition
the graphic code whereby individual characters stand for specific sounds (or sound combinations)
Term
Analogy is...
Definition
the structural relation whereby a form replaces another that is similar in structure, function, or use
Term
Archetype is...
Definition
the term coined by psychoanalyst Carl Jung to designate any unconscious image that manifests itself in dreams, myths, art forms, and performances across cultures
Term
Architext is...
Definition
the prototype from which other or subsequent texts are derived
Term
Artefact is...
Definition
an object produced or shaped by human craft, especially a tool, a weapon, or an ornament that is of archaeological or historical interest
Term
Axiom is...
Definition
a statement universally accepted as true and therefore accepted without proof
Term
Basic-level concept is...
Definition
the concept that has a typological (classifactory) function
Term
Biosemiotics is...
Definition
the branch of semiotics that studies semiosis in all life forms
Term
Biosphere is...
Definition
the physical environment to which an organism adapts
Term
Channel is...
Definition
the physical means by which a signal or message is transmitted
Term
Character is...
Definition
the person portrayed in an artistic piece, such as a drama or novel
Term
Closed text is...
Definition
the text that elicits a singular, or a very limited, range of interpretations
Term
Clothing is...
Definition
apparel to cover the body
Term
Code is...
Definition
the system in which signs are organized and that determines how they relate to one another and can thus be used for representation and communication
Term
Communication is...
Definition
social interaction through message exchange; the production and exchange of messages and meanings; the use of specific modes and media to transmit messages
Term
Conative function is...
Definition
the effect of a message on the addressee
Term
Concept is...
Definition
a general thought connection or pattern encoded by as sign or signs (within cultural contexts)
Term
Conceptual metaphor is...
Definition
a generalized metaphorical formula that undergirds a specific abstraction
Term
Conceptual meonym is...
Definition
a generalized metonymical formula that undergirds a specific abstraction
Term
Concrete concept is...
Definition
a concept that is demonstratable and observable in a direct way
Term
Connotation is...
Definition
the extended or secondary meaning of a sign; the symbolic or mythic meaning of a certain signifier (word, image, etc.)
Term
Contact is...
Definition
the physical channel employed in communication and the psychological connections made between addresser and addressee
Term
Context is...
Definition
the environment (physical and social) in which signs are produced and messages interpreted
Term
Conventional sign is...
Definition
a sign that is made by human ingenuity
Term
Culture is...
Definition
the interconnected system of meanings encoded by signs and texts
Term
Decoding is...
Definition
the process of deciphering the message formed in terms of a specific code
Term
Deconstruction is...
Definition
the view that texts can be deconstructed into a series of differences (oppositions) and, thus, that they do not refer to anything outside of themselves in any 'true' fashion
Term
Denotation is...
Definition
the primary, intentional meaning of a sign
Term
Diachrony is...
Definition
the study of changes in signs and codes over time
Term
Discourse is...
Definition
verbal communication involving an addresser and an addressee
Term
Distance is...
Definition
the space that people maintain between themselves during socially meaningful contact or interaction
Term
Dress is...
Definition
a meaningful system of clothing (e.g., the dress code for weddings)
Term
Emotive function is...
Definition
the addresser's emotional intent in communicating something
Term
Encoding is...
Definition
the process of putting together a message in terms of a specific code
Term
Entropy is...
Definition
anything that is unpredictable in a message
Term
Feedback is...
Definition
information, signals, cues issuing from the receiver of a message as detected by the sender, allowing him or her to adjust the message in order to make it clearer, more meaningful, more effective
Term
Fiction is...
Definition
a literary work whose content is produced by the imagination; not necessarily based on fact
Term
Firstness is...
Definition
in Peircean theory, the first level of meaning derived from bodily and sensory processes
Term
Gender is...
Definition
sexual identity established in cultural terms
Term
Gesticulant is...
Definition
the gesture unit accompanying speech
Term
Gesticulation is...
Definition
the use of gestures to accompany speech
Term
Gesture is...
Definition
semiosis and representation by means of the hands, the arms, and to a lesser extent the head
Term
Ground is...
Definition
the meaning of a metaphor
Term
Haptics is...
Definition
the study of touching patterns during social interaction
Term
Hermeneutics is...
Definition
the study and interpretation of texts
Term
Hieroglyphic writing is...
Definition
Ancient Egyptian system of writing, in which pictorial symbols were used to represent meanings or sounds or a combination of meanings and sound
Term
Homonymy is...
Definition
two or more words that are spelled or pronounced the same but have different meanings
Term
Hypertext is...
Definition
a text within another text explaining some component of the other text
Term
Hypertextuality is...
Definition
a system for linking different texts and images within a computer document or over a network
Term
Hypoicon is...
Definition
Peirce's term for an icon that is shaped by cultural convention but that nonetheless can be figured out by those who are not members of the culture
Term
Hypotext is...
Definition
a text based on another text, which, however, it alters, elaborates, or extends
Term
Icon is...
Definition
a sign in which the signifier has a direct (non-arbitrary), simulative connection to its signified or referent
Term
Iconicity is...
Definition
the process of representing something with iconic signs
Term
Image schema is...
Definition
the term used by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson to refer to the recurring structures of, or in, our perceptual interactions, bodily experiences, and cognitive operations that portray locations, movements, shapes, and so on in the mind
Term
Index is...
Definition
a sign in which the signifier has an existential connection to its signified or referent (i.e., the sign indicates that something 'exists' somewhere in time or space)
Term
Indexicality is...
Definition
the process of representing something with indexical signs
Term
Information is...
Definition
any fact or datum that can be stored and retrieved by humans or machines
Term
Interpretant is...
Definition
the process of adapting a sign's meaning to personal and social experiences
Term
Interpretation is...
Definition
the process of deciphering what a sign or text means
Term
Intertext is...
Definition
a text to which another text refers
Term
Intertextuality is...
Definition
the allusion within a text to some other text of which the interpreter would normally have knowledge
Term
Irony is...
Definition
the use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning; the use of words in a humorous but often sarcastic way
Term
Kinesics is...
Definition
the study of bodily semiosis
Term
Legisign is...
Definition
in Peircean theory, a representamen (signifier) that designates something by convention
Term
Logograph is...
Definition
a full symbol or character representing a word
Term
Logographic writing is...
Definition
a semisymbolic writing system in which a character, known as a logograph, resembles its referent only in small part
Term
Map is...
Definition
a visual text representing a culturally significant territory or space drawn with a combination of iconic, indexical, and symbolic techniques
Term
Meaning is...
Definition
a concept that is understandable in personal and cultural ways
Term
Medium is...
Definition
the technical or physical means by which a message is transmitted
Term
Message is...
Definition
the meaning of a text
Term
Metalingual function is...
Definition
a communicative function by which the code being used is identified
Term
Metaphor is...
Definition
a semiotic process by which two referential domains (A, B) are connected (A is B)
Term
Metatext is...
Definition
a text that makes an explicit or implicit critical commentary on another text
Term
Metonymy is...
Definition
a semiotic process by which an entity is used to refer to another that is related to it
Term
Myth is...
Definition
a story that aims to explain the origin of life or of the universe in terms of some metaphysical or deistic entity or entities
Term
Mythology is...
Definition
the use and/or evocation of mythic themes in contemporary behaviours and performances; the study of myths
Term
Name is...
Definition
a sign that identifies a person or place
Term
Narrative structure is...
Definition
a universal pattern of storytelling based on a series of oppositions (hero vs opponent) that generate plot, character, setting, and so on
Term
Narrative is...
Definition
something told or written such as an account, story, or tale
Term
Narratology is...
Definition
the branch of semiotics that studies narrativity
Term
Narrator is...
Definition
the teller of the narrative
Term
Natural medium is...
Definition
any biologically inherited ability or capacity for encoding and decoding a message, including the voice (speech), the face (expressions), and the body (gesture, posture, etc.)
Term
Natural sign is...
Definition
a sign produced by nature (such as symptom)
Term
Natural transmission is...
Definition
the transmission of messages naturally (through the air channel, through chemical signals, etc.)
Term
Noise is...
Definition
anything that interferes with the reception of a message
Term
Novel is...
Definition
a fictional prose narrative in which characters and situations are depicted within the framework of a plot
Term
Object is...
Definition
what a sign refers to
Term
Onomastics is...
Definition
the study of names
Term
Onomatopoeia is...
Definition
a verbal representation through the simulation of one or several of the sonorous properties of referents
Term
Ontogenesis is...
Definition
the development of all semiosic abilities during childhood
Term
Open text is...
Definition
a text that entails a complex interpretive range
Term
Opposition is...
Definition
the process by which signs are differentiated through a minimal change in their form or meaning
Term
Paradigmatic is...
Definition
a structural relation between signs that keeps them distinct and therefore recognizable
Term
Paratext is...
Definition
the physical and conventional characteristics associated with certain kinds of texts, such as their physical structure, titles, headings, prefaces, epigraphs, dedications, acknowledgments, footnotes, illustrations, and dust jackets
Term
Performance is...
Definition
the representation and communication of some text, framed in a special way and put on display for an audience
Term
Perspective is...
Definition
the technique of representing three-dimensional objects and depth relationships on a two-dimensional surface
Term
Phatic function is...
Definition
a communicative function by which contact between addresser and addressee is established
Term
Phoneme is...
Definition
a minimal unit of sound in a language that allows its users to differentiate meanings
Term
Phylogenesis is...
Definition
the evolution of all semiosic abilities in the human species
Term
Pictographic writing is...
Definition
a type of writing system in which a sign, known as pictograph, bears pictorial resemblance to its referent
Term
Plot is...
Definition
the plan of events or main story in a narrative or drama
Term
Poetic function is...
Definition
a communicative function based on poetic language
Term
Poetry is...
Definition
verbal art based on the acoustic, rhythmic, and imagistic properties of words
Term
Pop art is...
Definition
an art form that utilizes themes and images taken from mass technological culture
Term
Postmodernism is...
Definition
the world view that all knowledge is relative and human-made, and that there is no purpose to life beyond the immediate and the present
Term
Post-structuralism is...
Definition
a movement in semiotics countering the structuralist notion that signs encode some aspect of reality
Term
Proxemics is...
Definition
a branch of semiotics and anthropology that studies the symbolic structure of the physical space maintained between people
Term
Qualisign is...
Definition
in Peircean theory, the representamen (signifier) that refers to a quality
Term
Receiver is...
Definition
the person to whom a message or text is directed
Term
Redundancy is...
Definition
that which is predictable or conventional in a message or text, thus helping counteract the potential interference effects of noise
Term
Referent is...
Definition
what is referred to (any object, being, idea, or event)
Term
Referential domain is...
Definition
the specific range of meanings to which a sign or text refers
Term
Referential function is...
Definition
a communicative act in which there is a straightforward connection between the act and what it refers to
Term
Representamen is...
Definition
in Peircean theory, the physical part of a sign
Term
Representation is...
Definition
the process by which referents are captured and organized in some way by signs or texts
Term
Secondness is...
Definition
in Peircean theory, the second level of meaning derived from relating signs to one another or to other elements (including sign markers and sign users)
Term
Semantic differential is...
Definition
a technique used in semiotics for fleshing our connotations
Term
Semiology is...
Definition
Saussure's term for the study of signs
Term
Semiosis is...
Definition
the comprehension and production of signs
Term
Semiosphere is...
Definition
the world of signs, codes, and texts to be differentiated from the biosphere (the physical, life-supporting environment)
Term
Semiotics is...
Definition
the science that studies signs and their uses in representation
Term
Sender is...
Definition
the transmitter of a message or text
Term
Setting is...
Definition
the place and conditions in which a narrative takes place
Term
Sign language is...
Definition
the language code based on gestures and grammatical rules that share common elements with spoken language
Term
Sign is...
Definition
something that stands for something or someone else in some capacity
Term
Signal is...
Definition
an emission or movement that naturally or conventionally triggers some reaction on the part of the receiver
Term
Signification is...
Definition
the process of generating meaning through the use of signs
Term
Signified is...
Definition
that part of a sign which is referred to
Term
Signifier is...
Definition
that part of a sign that does the referring; the physical part of a sign
Term
Sinsign is...
Definition
in Peircean theory, a representamen (signifier) that draws attention to or singles out a particular object in time-space
Term
Sound symbolism is...
Definition
the process by which referents are represented through some form of vocal simulation
Term
Source domain is...
Definition
the class of vehicles that deliver a conceptual metaphor
Term
Structuralism is...
Definition
the study of the structures (signs, texts, codes) generated by semiosis
Term
Structure is...
Definition
any repeatable, systematic, patterned, or predictable aspect of signs, codes, and texts
Term
Subordinate level is...
Definition
the level at which a concept has a detailing function
Term
Subtext is...
Definition
the text (message) hidden within a text
Term
Superordinate level is...
Definition
the level at which a concept has a highly general classificatory function
Term
Syllable is...
Definition
the word or part of a word pronounced with a single, uninterrupted sounding of the voice (usually a vowel) and generally one or more sounds of lesser sonority (usually consonants)
Term
Symbol is...
Definition
a sign that represents a referent through cultural convention
Term
Symbolism is...
Definition
the process of representing something with symbols
Term
Symptom is...
Definition
a bodily sign that stands for some ailment, physical condition, or disease
Term
Synchronic is...
Definition
the study of signs at a specific point in time (usually the present)
Term
Synethesia is...
Definition
the juxtaposition of signs so as to evoke different sense modalities simultaneously
Term
Synonymy is...
Definition
the relation by which the meanings of different signs overlap
Term
Syntagmatic is...
Definition
a structural relation that guides the combination of signs or parts of signs in a coherent and consistent way
Term
Target domain is...
Definition
the topic of a conceptual metaphor
Term
Text is...
Definition
a 'larger sign' put together in terms of a specific code
Term
Textuality is...
Definition
the process of generating and utilizing texts for representational purposes
Term
Thirdness is...
Definition
in Peircean theory, the third level of meaning derived from symbolic processes
Term
Topic is...
Definition
the subject of a metaphor (tenor)
Term
Transmission is...
Definition
the physical process of sending messages or texts to a receiver
Term
Trope is...
Definition
a figure of speech
Term
Vehicle is...
Definition
the part of a metaphor to which a topic is connected
Term
Whorfian hypothesis is...
Definition
the view elaborated by Benjamin Lee Whorf that the language one speaks shapes one's world view
Term
Writing is...
Definition
the process of representing speech with characters
Term
Zoosemiosis is...
Definition
Semiosis in animal species
Term
Zoosemiotics is...
Definition
the branch of semiotics studying semiosis in animals
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