Semiotics is the academic discipline that
studies signs and symbols, including words, as a means of communication and
signification. As human beings, we are constantly interpreting the meaning of
symbols and acting upon the information that we understand them to
convey.
For example, we come to a crossroads and see a bright light. That
light, pointing in our direction, is colored red. We stop. While many of us may
stop at a traffic signal multiple times in a day without much thought about the
process, in reality a complex set of functions is taking place literally within
the blink of an eye. One of those functions that quickly takes over at a red
light is...
