Global Semiotics [Hardcover]

The study of semiotics underwent a gradual but radical paradigm shift during the past century, from a glottocentric (language-centered) enterprise to one that encompasses the whole terrestrial biosphere. In this collection of 17 essays, Thomas A. Sebeok, one of the seminal thinkers in the field, shows how this progression took place. His wide-ranging discussion of the evolution of the field covers many facets, including discussions of biosemiotics, semiotics as a bridge between the humanities and natural sciences, semiosis, nonverbal communication, cat and horse behavior, the semiotic self, and women in semiotics. This thorough account will appeal to seasoned scholars and neophytes alike.

Thomas A. Sebeok is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Linguistics and Semiotics and Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, Folklore, and Uralic and Altaic Studies at Indiana University. An Honorary Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, he is also Distinguished Senior Fellow Emeritus of the Institute for Advanced Study (Collegium Budapest), a recipient of the Distinguished Service Award of the American Anthropological Association, and holder of a Professional Achievement Citation from the University of Chicago. He is author or editor of hundreds of books and articles on a wide range of topics. Among his numerous semiotics publications are The Play of Musement, A Sign is Just a Sign, and The Sign of Three (with Umberto Eco).

Preliminary Table of Contents:

Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Global Semiotics
2. The Evolution of Semiosis
3. Biosemiotics: Its Roots, Proliferation, and Prospects
4. Galen in Medical Semiotics
5. Signs, Bridges, Origins
6. What Do We Know about the Signifying Behavior in the Domestic Cat (Felis catus)?
7. Give Me Another Horse
8. Nonverbal Communication
9. Intersemiotics Transmutations: A Genre of Hybrid Jokes
10. Tell Me, Where is Fancy Bred? : The Biosemiotic Self
11. The Cognitive SelflC