3rd Semester FINAL Assignment Semiotics SUMMARY

7/31/2019 3rd Semester FINAL Assignment Semiotics SUMMARY

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The English andForeign LanguagesUniversity Hyderabad

An introduction to semiotics

and visual communication

Final Assignment:Writing Summary of a book: (Signification and

Significance) by: Charles Morris 1969

Supervisor: Dr. K. Venkat ReddyDone by: Zabihullah Alimyar

Roll No. H-1187


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28/11/2011Description of the Book

Name: Signification and SignificanceAuthor: CHARLES MORRIS

Publisher/year: Cambridge, Mass.: M.I.T. Press, 1969 USA

This book is aboutA Study of the Relation of Signs and Values. It is consist

of six chapters. Except chapter no. 6 the rest are divided into several sub-sections.

In this book Charles Morris has tried to convey together the two main lines of his

work as an investigator:

1. Development of a general theory of signs (semiotics)2.

Development of a general theory of value(axiology).

These are the two aspects of the common to the point of insignificance term

"meaning", as if we ask what is the meaning of life, we may be asking a question

about the signification of the term 'life,' or asking a question about the value or

significance of living-or both".

In this book Morris moves from one complicated area to another, from the

dimensions of signification to the dimensions of value, from psychology to

sociology, to linguistics, to information theory as they bear on semiotic, and

axiology

Chapter 1

Signs and the Act

1. The Scope of Semiotic

In semiotics as Ernst Cassirer gives vital meaning to symbol in understanding of

man and his work so as he called man the symbolic animal instead of rational

animal. Historically the term semiotic was first adapted by John Locke form the

Greek stoics, who in turn was influences by the Greek medical tradition that he

interpreted diagnosis and prognosis as sign process. Later Charles S. Peirce (1839-1914), followed John Lockes usage and now he is known as the father for the

present American semiotics.

According to Peirce a sign is something which stands to somebody, for something

in some respect.


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Representmen, the form which signs takes (visual or linguistics/non-linguistics).

Interpretant: sense made of the sign (meaning), Object: to which sign refers.

2. The Basic Terms of SemioticSemiosis (sign process) regarded five terms relation for instance: V, W, X, Y, Z in

which v, sets up in ,w, the disposition to react in certain kind of way ,x, to certain

kind of object , y, under certain condition, z.

The Vs are signs. Ws are interpreters. Xs are interpretans. Ys are significations. Zs are contexts sign occur.

Karl von Frisch has given the example of a bee when finds nectar is able on

returning to the hive, to dance in such away to inform the other bees to the source

food. Here the dance is a sign, bees affected by dance are interpreters, to react

because of dance are interpretants, kind of object towards the bees are to act is

signification of sign and the position of hive is part of the context. Moreover in

this part, formulation of semiotics (sign process) is concerned with the condition

for recognizing certain events as sign, signifying object as intermediate

experience, the way as organism may experience on its own sign behavior in a

certain context.

3. Dimensions of Significations

It is widely recognized that signs which are commonly admitted to signification

differ in the kind of signification they have. Black, good and ought are the

examples.

According to Mead, if an impulse is given to a sign, the resulting action has three

phases in relation to three aspects of action:

Perceptual as it signifies properties of the environment or of an actor, Manipulatory as it signifies the consummatory properties of some object or

situation, Consummatory as it signifies how the object or situation is reacted.

4. Summary of The analysis

There are three requirements of actions:

The actor must obtain information concerning the situation in which is toact.


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The actor must act among objects that he will favor positive preferentialbehavior.

The actor must act on the selected object by some specific course ofbehavior.

Thus if he is thirsty and finds that coffee and tea available, he must actpreferentially to one of these say teaand he must decide whether to drink the

tea quickly or slowly, alone or with someone, and so forth.

5. The Term Meaningand Express

The term good would have appraisive meaning only if it signify an objectas having reinforcing properties and arouse in its interpreters a disposition

to a positive behavior toward the object signified.

The term ought is designative, it has prescriptive meaning only if itsignifies to its interpreter. Moreover in designative meaning a sign has

the degree that the interpreter is disposed to a certain kind of object.

The term express can be present in the first stage as sign, that isexpressive to some degree of its production in itself taken as a sign by an

interpreter and in second stage every sign expresses its interpretant, without

signifying it.

6. Formal Signs

There are two types sign, mathematical and logical:

One with analytic implication between 2 signs (e.g. If signification of S1 iscontained in S2, then S2 is an analytic implicate of S1);

Another with contradictory implication (e.g. when signification of S1 isabsent in S2, then S1 and S2 are contradictory implicate of each other).

7. The Uses of Signs

There are four main uses of signs.

Informative: sign may be used to inform someone of the properties ofobjects and situation.

Valuative: to persuade someone of preferential behavior toward someobject or situation.

Incitive: to encourage a specific course of action.

Systematic: to organize the disposition of behavior produced by anothersign. In general designative signs are used informatively, appraisive signs

are used valuatively, prescriptive signs are used incitively, and formative

signs are used systematically.


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Chapter 2Values, Signs, and the Act

1. The Concept of Value

The term meaning in semiotic is paralleled by those with the term value in

axiology. Since:

the life process depends on the selection or rejection of certain objects orsituation;

The study of the term value as a study of preferential behavior as positiveor negative phenomenon of life.

2. Values and Preferential Behavior

Values and Preferential Behavior make distinction between social and individual

values. There is preferential behavior of a single individual toward specific

persons, art objects, books, ideas, and ways to live, which may be called individual

value.

3. Operative, Conceived, and Object Values

These three usages are:

Operative value, as it is not limited to persons but holds whatever there is adirection of preference at choice point in behavior.

Conceived value, (positive or negative) behavior as it may deal to signifyobjects or situations, some like, or dislike as it signifies.

Objective value, as to support positive preferential behavior and thoseobjects by some organism.

4. Three Aspects of System

There are three possibilities of relation for a system in relation to other systems or

objects which may:

1.Require an input of material from other systems or object for itsmaintenance which it can be said to be receptive to other systems or object.

2. Need to act positively in a way to control other system or object, which itcan be said dominantto other systems or objects.

3.Keep boundaries and cannot as the above first and second which it can besaid detachmentsystem that maintains its independence.


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5. The Primary Values and Signs

Explanation of the terms receptive, dominance and detachmentare considered asprimary dimensions of value operative values in action, objective values of

some phase of action, conceived values in various ethical, philosophical and

religious systems.

In the perceptual stage of act the detachment of the act, the detachmentdimension of values is involved.

The actor is seeking objects answering to his impulse - he is not committedto specific objects of acting toward them.

6. Individual and Social Forms of The Primary Value

There three dimensions of value that has of manifestation:1. Receptive Systems, 2. Dominance Systems 3. Detachment Systems

More importunately there are five dimensions of Socialaction such as

1. Social Restraint and Self-Control stress upon consciousness,intelligent in human affairs.

2. Enjoyment and Progress in Action stress upon delight invigorous action for overcoming obstacles.

3. Withdrawal and Self-Sufficiency stress upon inner life self-awareness.

4. Receptivity and Sympathetic Concern emphasis upon receptivityto persons and nature.

5. Self-Indulgence emphasis upon social restraint and self-controlcharacteristic.

7. Sign, Value, and Inquiry

Signs and values, as discussed so for, can occur in behavior without there being

inquiry. There are three main types of problems to which inquiry is directed:

1. Designative inquiryproblems of what has happened, is happening, or will

happen.

2.Prescriptive inquiryproblems of what to do.3.Appraisive inquiryproblems of what to accord preferential behavior.

8. Mead and Certain Features of Human Mentality

For Mead it is a characteristic of the human being that he can react to his own

actions as other human being will react. He calls them symbols to which their

producer is disposed to react like their receiver significant symbols.


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Chapter 3

Semiotics and Some Issues in Contemporary Philosophy

1. The Philosophers Concern With Language

A concern with analyzing of meaning is found in many writing.

Axiology, or the science of values, is identified by Morris with the study of

preferential behavior. Values are viewed as "objectively relative" (referring to

properties, like edibility, which certain objects have only by virtue of the

preferences of certain organisms), thus avoiding the ancient dispute over whether

values are "objective" or "subjective." Three usages of the term "value" are

differentiated clearly at the beginning of the argument:

the actual preferential behavior of an organism the use of appraisive signs, presumably by language-using organisms, with

respect to objects that need not even exist

the attribution of value properties to objects in terms of their supporting, ornot supporting, preferential behavior for certain organisms

In attempting to relate axiology to semiotic, Morris identifies three dimensions of

value, in terms of organisms as systems having boundaries, and then pairs them

with the three modes of signification:

Maintaining system boundaries is related to designative signs Controlling other systems or objects is related to prescriptive signs and

manipulatory behavior

Permeability of boundaries to external systems of objects needed forsustenanceis related to appraisive signs and consummatory behavior.

2. The Ought and The Is

In contemporary philosophy, the term ought is designative; it has prescriptive

meaning only if it signifies to its interpreter. Moreover in designative meaning a

sign has the degree that the interpreter is disposed to a certain kind of object. Theterm is refer to the act in which bring the object into existence or maintain the

existence. the ought and the is are not identical and deductible from each other.

3. & 4. The Cognitivist - Emotivist Controversy and The Absolutist -

Relativist Controversy


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In the recent area of semiotic the terms of cognitive meaning versus emotive

meaning, or referential meaning versus expressive meaning is argued as

synonymous with having signification.

Factor analyses of preferences for thirteen different "Ways to Live," based on data

from the United States, Canada, Norway, China, and Japan, yield five factorswhich are merged with the basic trilogy as follows:

Factors A (social restraint and self-control) and C (withdrawal and self-sufficiency) become the social and individual "forms of detachment as

values.

Factors D (respectivity and sympathetic concern) and E (self-indulgence orsensuous enjoyment) become the social and individual forms of

dependence as values.

Factor B (enjoyment and progress in action) is, on the basis of the Chinesedata, divided into social and individual forms of dominance as values.

Why does Morris feel obliged to falsify some link between valuing and

signifying? It would appear to be more than a matter of philosophical parsimony.

Man's inquiry into the nature of himself and his universe is value-determined. The

inquiry of Man as scientist-"How old is the earth?"-reflects detachment as a value

and is characterized by the use of designative signs.

5. Semiotic, Axiology, and Philosophy

The relation of semiotic and axiology, conceived as studies of sign behavior and

preferential behavior. They are overlapping while signs occur in behavior in which

operative and conceived values are involved. Philosophers analyze judgments ofvalue and obligation, they are working within the overlap of axiology and

semiotic, and their work not only depends on the existing development but also

makes contribution to them. Semiotics and axiology are emerging as scientific

discipline.

6. Philosophy and Pragmatics

It is important, to embrace an empiricism which is radical, a rationalism which is

a study of method, and pragmatism which is critical. These are the three

components that correspond to the three dimensions of semiotics:

Pragmatics is that portion of semiotic which deals with the origin, uses andeffects of signs within the behavior in which they occur;

Semantics deals with the signification of signs in all modes of signifying; Syntacticsdeals with combinations of signs without regard for their

specific significations or their relation to the behavior in which they occur.


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Philosophers have argued the problems in this area and it was for this reason that

pragmatics was introduces into terminology of semiotics.

7. Conclusion WordsThere are some problems that contemporary philosophers concerned. Following is

some general cited survey:

The distinction between the semantic, syntactic, and pragmatic aspects ofsemiotics is widespread.

There are many philosophers who link the term good with something likepositive, preferential behavior.

There are many philosophers who admit the multi dimensionality of termsought and good.

Pragmatics, as part of semiotics, both in its descriptive and pure forms,plays an increasingly great part in discussion of signs.

There is a wide recognition that it is necessary to consider language in allits multiplicity of significations and uses.

Chapter 4

Semiotic, Axiology, and the Behavioral Sciences

1. The Nature of the InterpretantIn discussing the nature of the interpretant, Morris accepts the notion of

"representational mediation process," used by C. E. Osgood critic, as an

explication of his own notion of "disposition." He reports, quite correctly, that

many factor analyses of descriptive scales (for example, fair-unfair, hard-soft,

quick-slow, etc.) as used in making meaningful judgments of concepts have

repeatedly yielded the same three dominant factors-evaluation, potency, and

activity.

Definition: Axiology is:

"A pattern of stimulation which is not the significant it is an indication ofthat significant if it evokes in the organism a mediating process. such

process are:

being some fractional part of the total behavior elicited by thesignificant


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producing responses which would not occur without the previouscontiguity of non-significant and significant patterns of stimulation"

2. & 3. Dimensionality and Semantics Differential and Osgoods Factors andthe Kinds of Interpretants

An important step by Osgood and his colleague was the study of dimensions of

connotative meaning as they called it concept and sign. Morris then explores

the possibility that these factors may be related to his modes of signifying,

concluding that there is no simple relation-with which this reviewer agrees. It now

appears that the Semantic Differential (as this measuring technique has come to be

called, perhaps unfortunately) gets at what might be termed affective meaning.

This, in turn, may fall within Morris' appraisive dimension, but even this

identification is very weak.4. Semiotics, Axiology, and the Social Sciences

There is probably no problem in analyses of action systems which is not clarified

by a better understanding of symbolism. Morris is giving the example from

Parsonian analysis as; human action is a system that constrains three subsystems:

the personality system the social system the cultural system the biological system

Sociologists will be most interested, in Morris' attempt to relate his semiotic to thework of Parsons, Shils, and Bales. With social systems regarded as organizations

of institutions, with institutions regarded as systems of roles, with roles regarded

as systems of complementary expectations, and with expectations clearly being

sign processes, the reception for semiotic is provided.

5. A note Concentrating Contemporary Linguistics

Morris argues that role behavior is a type of sign-controlled behavior and the signs

may be prelinguistic (perceptual) or postlinguistic (symbolic) as well as linguistic.

Parsons' three types of "value orientations,":

cognitive, appreciative, and moral,

are linked to Morris' notions of the:

perceptual-manipulative, consummatory,


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and evaluative stages of action,hence directly to:

designative, appraisive,

prescriptive modes of signification.The parallelisms that Morris draws here (and elsewhere) could, of course, be

nothing more than verbal analogies- traps for the unwary scholar-but he suspect

there is more to it than this when thoughtful men, quite independently using a

common language for their own special purposes, come up with very similar cuts

through the fabric of human society.

Chapter 5

Art, Signs, and Values1. The Issues

Act always implied signs and its values. There are some discussions about the

meaning at a work of act;

whether all works of art are meaningful or meaningless whether a work of art has signification or it has significance or value whether have the designative, appraisive , prescriptive signification vital

for analyzes of art

As for aesthetics act is related to the work of art as a sign and it has semantically,syntactical aspect and it deal with the origin work or art.

Morris demonstrates that he likes to decide on practical data. After defending his

earlier writings on art against criticisms received-on such matters as, can a work of

art be a sign and, if so, can it be an iconic sign (physically similar to its

signification) signifying values?-Morris launches into an exploration of

experimental possibilities.

2. One Approach to These Issues,

The work of art in general is relevance to the analysis and understanding of signs.

In one study, a positive relation was found between preferences for Ways toLive and preferences for paintings; for example, subjects preferring Way 2(stressing detachment, self-sufficiency, reflectiveness, heightened self-

awareness) preferred painting judged by independent raters to signify these

values.

Another study revealed a most suggestive conflict of value systems inCommunist Chinese students: they preferred Ways 5 and 6 (enjoy life


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through group participation and constantly master changing conditions), yet

selected painting more in harmony with traditional Chinese values.

In yet another study, the five value factors and five paintings carefullyselected to represent the five value factors (see above) were judged against

an appropriate form of Semantic Differential, and were given preferenceratings and evaluative ratings-by a group of psychology students and a

group of art students.

Both groups agreed in correctly matching the Semantic Differential profiles for

values with those for paintings; in both groups preference rankings of values and

paintings corresponded; but whereas preference and evaluation ratings were

positively correlated for the psychologists, they were negatively correlated for the

artists! In other words, the art students had developed conceived values which

differed from their operative values.

Section 3 The Aesthetic Sign as an Icon:Since aesthetic sing is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty,

art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more

scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values,

sometimes called judgments ofsentiment and taste.

An Iconic sign is one which would denote any object having certainproperties it possesses itself. The drawing of a centaur is an iconic sign in

this sense.

The interpreter of such a drawing may say it signifies an animal that hasbody and head like those drawn but is also alive and has flesh and bones.

The drawing itself is not alive nor does it have flesh and bones. Iconicity is thus a matter of degree. An iconic sign, like every sign, must have an interpretant. According to Charles Morris, 1939 an iconic sign is unique among signs

in that it denotes itself

4. The Aesthetic Sign and Value:

There are two kinds of questions concerning the relation of values and art:

1. One concerning the nature of aesthetic evaluation. Aesthetic inquiry differs from other forms of inquiry only in its

subject matter, namely work of art.

Inquiry about work of art can be designative, appraisive, orprespective, and school of criticism differ mainly in the relative

stress given to these forms of inquiry.

2. The second problem concerns the relation of the work of art itself to values.
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The work of art signified values and art that in its iconic character itembodied in itself the values it signified.

Not only can the work of art verbal or nonverbal, signifydesignatively , and appraisively, and prescriptively, but it can

portray operative, conceived and object values, it can be used formany puposes.

5. Art as the Embodiment or Portrayal of Values:

Values are approached in terms of preferential behavior as:

1. A value situation is regarded as a situation where preferential behavior issomewhat consistently accorded to something present in the situation or

something not present but signified in the situation.

2. Values are said to be objectively relative: They are properties of objects (including signs and signified objects)

related to preferential behavior.3. Work or art embody a value, and in a sense that can be direct

apprehension of such a value.

4. According to Charles Stevenson, if an interpretant of aesthetic signprocess is considered as a disposition to respond rather than an actual

response, then the work of art, to extent that it involves an interpretant, is

functioning as a sign behavior to something else, and is to that extent

immediate.

6. Supplementary Approaches:

There has been concerned with the discussions and criticism of the hypothesis thatthe work art is an iconic sign signifying values. But there are supplementary, and

perhaps alternative, approaches to the problem.

The approach to aesthetic discourse does not attempt to isolate aspecial class of aesthetic signs any appraisive sign can be used for

aesthetic purpose.

The approach to aesthetic discourse cant be iconic signs which mayplay an especial significant role in it.

Another possible approach to problems of aesthetics via semiotic andaxiology would be to attempt to isolate a special form of aesthetic

behavior, and then to investigate the relation of such behavior o signs

and values.

Finally, the approach concerning the signs that occur in aestheticperception is from its own, but is not iconic, is not limited to any single

dimension of signification.


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7. Experimental Possibilities:

The analysis of the dimensions of signification can be planned in a variety of

experimental studies in relation to the sign and values of the arts. For instance, anumber of persons could rate on a seven point scale how much they liked several

paintings, poems pieces of music, and so:

We can call these Preference Ratings. These persons could also be asked toevaluate the same objects as work of art.

We may call these Appraisive Ratings. The persons may also givepreference and appraiseve ratings to ways to live.

If a number of judges analyzed some of these items in semiotic terms:

Syntactically, Semantically, PragmaticallyIt would then be possible to study in great detail the relation of significance andsignification in work of art.

If additional data on the subjects who gave preference and appraisive ratings were

obtained:

Constitution traits, Temperamental traits, Cultural affiliation, Economicalstatus,

It would also be possible to study the relation of the ratings to those who made the

ratings.

8. Art and Human Behavior:

The use of modern statistical analysis would permit the empirical determination of

the work of art such as painting, music, and poem which goes with Nature of

Aesthetic Experience, to the consummation of the act: To so construct the object

that it shall catch this joy of consummation is the achievement of the artist.

George H. Mead, in this account, is clearly connecting the aestheticexperience and the work of the art with values, since values are for him

properties that are objectively relative to the consummatory phase of the

act.

The work of the act is perceived object; the artist manipulates a medium;the perceiver of the work has an experience of consummation.

The creation and perception of works of art are human actions and cannotbe located within any single stage of action.

Human activity may seek new directions and new consummations and artnot only may celebrate attained values but may explore and present


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Chapter 6

Signs, Values, and Personality Disturbances

Language and post linguistic symbols made possible by language are distinctive

feature of human action such as:

In their designative dimension they embody mans knowledge of worldand himself;

In their appraisive dimension they reflect the conceived values which serveas mans goal;

In their prescriptive dimension they direct the specific course of humanaction toward envisaged goals.

Language and post linguistic symbols are the power and glory of human life.

Concerning the semiotics to the well-known writings of Gregory Bateson and

Jurgen Ruesch on communication in psychotherapy and to the less well known but

equally significant writings of Joseph Wolpe on the use of reciprocal inhibition in

psychotherapy (which Morris describes as eliminating the negative appraisive and

negative-prescriptive signification of signs), our philosopher again dons his lab

coat. He reports a study in which:

The ways to live questionnaire was given to fifty non-institutionalizedpsychiatric patients, their spouses, and fifty control subjects.

Values were found to accord with the personality characteristics ascribedto various types of disorder by the psychiatrists co-operating in theresearch.

The expectation that severity of disturbance in patients would be related tothe magnitude of difference in values from those of their spouses was not

confirmed; neither was the expectation that severity would be related to

deviation of values from cultural norms (which demonstrates that Morris'

propositions are testable).

Severity of disturbance does vary positively, however, with the extent ofvalue conflict within a patient, and it seems intuitively reasonable that, forexample, a person who simultaneously values highly both dominance over

others and detachment from others would be in for trouble.

In his study C. Morris was concerned with the difficulties that individuals encounter in

interpersonal activities. The social interpersonal approach to personality disturbance has

is important. A central villain in human life is anxiety. When a person is frustrated in


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social interaction, aspects of the situation become negatively appraisive and prescriptive

signs.

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3rd Semester FINAL Assignment Semiotics SUMMARY