semiosis

American  

[see-mee-oh-sis, sem-ee-, see-mahy-] / ˌsi miˈoʊ sɪs, ˌsɛm i-, ˌsi maɪ- /

noun

Semiotics.

1. the process of connecting a sign, the particular use of that sign, and the specific meaning the observer associates with that sign, such as when someone sees a red light as an instruction to stop, or reads the word tree and thinks of a tree.

---

Etymology

Origin of semiosis

First recorded in 1905–10; introduced by U.S. philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce; from Greek sēmeíōsis “sign”

Explanation

Semiosis is the process of connecting a meaning to a sign, which is anything that stands for or indicates something. When the traffic light turns green, a driver knows it's time to go. In semiosis, a sign may be an image, an action or event, a sound, or a word. A thumbs-up emoji in response to a text message indicates agreement. An EXIT sign in a theater shows you the way out. If you hear applause, you know that people are appreciating something, but if you hear a siren, you know to watch out because of an emergency. The process of semiosis involves the sign itself, the meaning it carries, and an interpreter who is able to connect the sign to its meaning.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

semiosis

Rudimentary signs, incipient language, oral communication, notation, and writing are stages in the semiosis of means of expression and communication.

From The Civilization of Illiteracy by Mihai Nadin

When productivity increased, and language could not keep up with the complexities of higher production, variety, and the need for planning, a new semiosis, characteristic of this different pragmatic level, became necessary.

From The Civilization of Illiteracy by Mihai Nadin

Through language processes paralleled by the semiosis of high gastronomy, truffles enter the market as sign-of a discriminating palate, of snobbery, or of actually knowing why truffles are good.

From The Civilization of Illiteracy by Mihai Nadin

"Tell me what you want to buy or sell and I'll tell you who you are," is a concise way of declaring how market semiosis X-rays its participants.

From The Civilization of Illiteracy by Mihai Nadin

Our time is in more than one way the expression of a semiosis with deep roots in the pragmatic context in which writing emerged.

From The Civilization of Illiteracy by Mihai Nadin