Semiotic Perspectives

First published in 1982, this book looks at a wide variety of issues concerning the vast field of study that is semiotics. It begins by tracing the beginnings of modern semiotics in the works two pioneering figures -- Saussure and Peirce -- in order to present fundamental assumptions, notions and distinctions which provide an essential background to the more recent developments. The author then goes on to look at Behavioural Semiotics, Luis Prietos idea of "lActe Semique", Austins theory of Speech Acts and Searles elaborations, Barthes move away from philosophical and scientific approaches in his ideology of Socio-Cultural Signification, Functionalism and Axiomatic Functionalism, style as a form of communication, semiotics of the cinema, and communicative behaviour in non-human species.