Change Through Signs of Body, Mind, and Language

9781577661368

1577661362

This short yet comprehensive text introduces readers to the world of semiotic analysis. It helps us to understand and be aware of how we make and take signs, which interdepend, interrelate, and interact with the world just as the world does with them and with us. Following the concepts originally offered by philosopher Charles S. Peirce, Merrell proposes that any conception of the world is a matter of signs, both linguistic and extralinguistic, as much as it is a matter of the world itself. In a lively, approachable manner, Merrell untangles the complexities of semiotics. Without diminishing their meaning, he defines disarming terms in easy-to-understand language. His clear explanations of complex concepts, his vivid examples, and his thought experiments offer readers a challenging yet simplified initiation into the process of inventing something new through signs of everyday life. This welcome, down-to-earth treatment of semiotics illuminates what is often obfuscated and will serve as an exercise in self-discovery.