Second Trichotomy: Icon, Index, Symbol
Table 1: Peirces Trichotomies of Signs 4.4 Ten Principal Classes of Signs
Since every sign is determined by its three correlates, and there are three ways in which every correlate may be characterized, as
summarized in table 1. However, some of the possible combinations are semiotically impossible. For example, a qualisign can be only
iconic and rhematic and an index cannot be an argument.
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The semiotically superfluous characterizations are placed in parentheses:
1. Rhematic Iconic Qualisign, for example: a feeling of red. 2. Rhematic Iconic Sinsign: an individual diagram.
3. Rhematic Indexical Sinsign: a spontaneous cry. 4. Dicent Indexical Sinsign: a weathercock.
5. Rhematic Iconic Legisign: a diagram, apart from its factual individuality.
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Ibid.
6. Rhematic Indexical Legisign: a demonstrative pronoun. 7. Dicent Indexical Legisign: traffic signs, commands.
” 8. Rhematic Symbolic Legisign: a common noun.
9. Dicent Symbolic Legisign: an ordinary proposition. 10. Argument Symbolic Legisign: a syllogism.
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