B. Charles Sanders Pierce’s Semiotic Theory
Charles Sanders Pierce is a logician, mathematician, philosopher, and scientist. He began writing on semiotic or theory of sign relations in the 1980’s.
Pierce’s semiotic, in its classifications, its critical analysis of kinds of inference, and its theory of inquiry is philosophical logic studied in terms of signs and sign
processes as positive phenomena in general.
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Charles Sanders Pierce is one of American philosopher which more originality and multidimensional, because his theory can be used in the part of
science. Pierce is the real founder of modern semiotic and without him, semiotic, as it has developed since his time would be conceivable.
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Charles Sanders Pierce defines semiotic as a sign of something which stand to somebody for something in some respect or capacity, and semiosis an
action or influence, which involves an operation of three subject, such as a sign, its object, and its interpretant, this trirelative influence not being in any resolvable
into an action between pairs.
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The explanation above denotes to the triadic sign relation that Pierce have in his theory of semiotic, and it can be explained with the theory of meaning
triangle of Pierce, which consist of sign, object, and interpretant. Here is Pierce’s definition about his triadic sign relation that formed the core of his definition of
logic. “Namely, a sign is something, A, which brings something, B, its
interpretant sign determined or created by it, into the same sort of
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http:en.wikipedia.orgwikiSemiotic_elements_and_classes_of_signs_28Pierce29. p.1
12
Aart Van Zoest, Semiotika. Jakarta: Sumber Agung, 1993 p.8
13
Op.cit. p.2
correspondence with something, C, its object, as that in which itself stands to C.”
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The relationship of meaning triangle of Pierce showed like this:
Pierce held that there are exactly three basic semiotic elements. First is Sign or Representament qualisign, sinsign , and legisign, second is an Object
icon, index, and symbol, and third is an Interpretant rheme, dicisign, and
argument , those three terms will explain more below:
1. Sign Representament It is something interpretable as saying something about something.
It is not necessarily symbolic, linguistic, or artificial. On this semiotic element, Pierce classifies into three parts which are mentioned below.
a. A qualisign also called tone, potisign, and mark is a sign which consist in a quality of feeling, a possibility, a “First”.
b. A sinsign also called token and actisign is a sign which consist in a reaction or resistance, an actual singular thing, an
actual occurrence or fact, a “Second”.
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Op.cit. p.4
Sign
Interpretant Object
c. A legisign also called type and famisign is a sign which consist in a semioticlogical relation, a general idea, a norm or
law or habit, a “Third”.
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2. Object It is a subject matter of a sign and an interpretant. It can be
anything discussable or thinkable, a thing, event, relationship, quality, law, argument, etc., and can even be fictional. The sign in relation with
the object was divided by Pierce into three parts, as it mentioned below.
a. An icon also called likeness and semblance is a sign that denotes its object by virtue of a quality which is shared by them
but which the icon has irrespectively of the object. b. An index is a sign that denotes its object by virtue of an actual
connection involving them, one that he also calls a real relation
in virtue of its being irrespective of interpretation. c. A symbol is a sign that denotes its object solely by virtue of the
fact that it will be interpreted to do so. The symbol is a habit or acquired law be it a habit of nature or a habit of convention
which must be learned, a habit that lacks or has shed dependence on the symbolic signs having a resemblance or
real connection to the denoted object.
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3. Interpretant It is the sign’s more or less clarified meaning or ramification, a
kind of form or idea of the difference whose sign is true or undeceptive. In the sign relation with the interpretant, Pierce also
divided into three parts of sign, as it mentioned below.
15
http:en.wikipedia.orgwikiSemiotic . p.1
16
Ibid. p.3
a. A rheme is a sign that represents its object in respect of quality and so, in its signified interpretant, rheme is represented as a
qualisign a kind of icon. b. A dicisign is a sign that represents its object in respect of actual
existence and so, in its signified interpretant, dicisign is represented as indexical, though it actually may be either index
or symbol. c. An argument is a sign that represents its object in respect of law
or habit and so, in its signified interpretant, argument is represented as symbolic and was indeed a symbol in the first
place.
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Pierce is the founder of triadic concept. The theory of what he has developed was very complicated. Nevertheless, there is still more simple way to
analyze using the theory of Pierce, it was called the differentiating of sign as it mentioned in table of Pierce’s ten classes of sign below:
Peirces Ten Classes of Sign http:en.wikipedia.org Relation
to representament
Relation to
object Relation
to interpretant
Specificational redundancies
in parentheses Some examples
I Qualisign
Icon Rheme
Rhematic Iconic
Qualisign A feeling of
“red”
II Icon
Rheme Rhematic
Iconic Sinsign An individual
diagram
III Rheme
Rhematic Indexical
Sinsign A spontaneous
cry.
IV Sinsign
Index Dicisign
Dicent Indexical
Sinsign A weathercock
or photograph
V Legisign
Icon Rheme
Rhematic Iconic Legisign
A diagram, apart from its
factual individuality
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Ibid. p.5
VI Rheme
Rhematic Indexical
Legisign A
demonstrative pronoun
VII Index
Dicisign Dicent Indexical
Legisign A street cry
VIII Rheme
Rhematic Symbol –ic
Legisign A common
noun
IX Dicisign
Dicent Symbol –ic Legisign
A proposition in the
conventional sense
X Symbol
Argument Argument –
ative Symbolic Legisign
A syllogism
C. The Novel
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