Semiotic square
Encyclopedia
The Semiotic Square, also known as the Greimas Square, is a tool used in the structural analysis of the relationships between semiotic signs
. The Semiotic Square was developed by Algirdas J. Greimas, a Lithuania
n linguist and semiotician and first presented in Semantique Structurale (1966) This book was later published as Structural Semantics: An Attempt at a Method (1983). Greimas further developed the Semiotic Square with Francois Rastier in "The Interaction of Semiotic Constraints" (1968).
Greimas considered the Semiotic Square to be the elementary structure of meaning. It is associated with the Aristotelian Square of Opposition
, Boole's syllogistic
, "the logical hexagon of R. Blanche … as well as to the structures called, in mathematics, the Klein four-group
, and, in psychology, the Piaget group.
The Semiotic Square is formed by an initial binary relationship between two contrary signs. S1 is considered to be the assertion/positive element and S2 is the negation/negative element in the binary pair:
S1 < ---- > S2
Example: Cat < ---- > Dog
In this example, the S-axis combines cat and dog to create the "S" category "pets".
The second binary relationship is now created on the ~S axis. ~S1 is considered to be the complex term, and ~S2 is the neutral term. This is where the principle of difference is brought into play: every element in a system is defined by its differences from the other elements.
In most modes of interpretation, the S-axis is a hyponym of the ~S-axis. The ~S1 element combines aspects of S1 and S2 and is also contradictory to S1. The ~S2 element contains aspects of neither S1 nor S2.
In this example, the subset "pets" falls under the broader category of animals. ~S1 can be interpreted as animals which are not pets, yet have elements of the categories of cat and dog. Domestic animals are not pets, and some cats and dogs serve in the role of working partners as mousers, herders, and guardians—and the category can also be expanded to include horses, goats, pigs, sheep, and chickens.
Finally, the ~S2 element can be identified. Considered to be "always the most critical position and the one that remains open or empty the longest time, for its identification completes the process and in that sense constitutes the most creative act of the construction.". In this example, animals that are not pets nor domestic working partners are wild animals.
Sign (semiotics)
A sign is understood as a discrete unit of meaning in semiotics. It is defined as "something that stands for something, to someone in some capacity" It includes words, images, gestures, scents, tastes, textures, sounds – essentially all of the ways in which information can be...
. The Semiotic Square was developed by Algirdas J. Greimas, a Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n linguist and semiotician and first presented in Semantique Structurale (1966) This book was later published as Structural Semantics: An Attempt at a Method (1983). Greimas further developed the Semiotic Square with Francois Rastier in "The Interaction of Semiotic Constraints" (1968).
Greimas considered the Semiotic Square to be the elementary structure of meaning. It is associated with the Aristotelian Square of Opposition
Square of opposition
In the system of Aristotelian logic, the square of opposition is a diagram representing the different ways in which each of the four propositions of the system are logically related to each of the others...
, Boole's syllogistic
Boole's syllogistic
Boolean logic is a system of syllogistic logic invented by 19th-century British mathematician George Boole, which attempts to incorporate the "empty set", that is, a class of non-existent entities, such as round squares, without resorting to uncertain truth values.In Boolean logic, the universal...
, "the logical hexagon of R. Blanche … as well as to the structures called, in mathematics, the Klein four-group
Klein four-group
In mathematics, the Klein four-group is the group Z2 × Z2, the direct product of two copies of the cyclic group of order 2...
, and, in psychology, the Piaget group.
Basic structure
The Greimas Square is a model based on relationships:| Structure | Relationship Type | Relationship Elements |
|---|---|---|
| Complex | Contrary | S1 + S2 |
| Neutral | Contrary | ~S2 + ~S1 |
| Schema 1 | Contradiction | S1 + ~S1 |
| Schema 2 | Contradiction | S2 + ~S2 |
| Deixes 1 | Implication | ~S2 + S1 |
| Deixes 2 | Implication | ~S1 + S2 |
- S1 = positive semeSemeSeme may refer to:*Seme Border, a settlement in Nigeria on the border with Benin*Seme , a Maasai term for a type of lion hunting knife*Seme , Japanese martial arts term meaning to attack...
- S2 = negative seme
- S = complex axis (S1 + S2)
- ~S = neutral axis (neither S1 nor S2)
The Semiotic Square is formed by an initial binary relationship between two contrary signs. S1 is considered to be the assertion/positive element and S2 is the negation/negative element in the binary pair:
S1 < ---- > S2
Example: Cat < ---- > Dog
In this example, the S-axis combines cat and dog to create the "S" category "pets".
The second binary relationship is now created on the ~S axis. ~S1 is considered to be the complex term, and ~S2 is the neutral term. This is where the principle of difference is brought into play: every element in a system is defined by its differences from the other elements.
In most modes of interpretation, the S-axis is a hyponym of the ~S-axis. The ~S1 element combines aspects of S1 and S2 and is also contradictory to S1. The ~S2 element contains aspects of neither S1 nor S2.
In this example, the subset "pets" falls under the broader category of animals. ~S1 can be interpreted as animals which are not pets, yet have elements of the categories of cat and dog. Domestic animals are not pets, and some cats and dogs serve in the role of working partners as mousers, herders, and guardians—and the category can also be expanded to include horses, goats, pigs, sheep, and chickens.
Finally, the ~S2 element can be identified. Considered to be "always the most critical position and the one that remains open or empty the longest time, for its identification completes the process and in that sense constitutes the most creative act of the construction.". In this example, animals that are not pets nor domestic working partners are wild animals.
Styles of interpretation
The Greimas Square is a tool used within the system of semiotics.- As such, one form of interpretation is to look at each of the elements: S1, S2, ~S1, and ~S2 as either developed by Ferdinand de SaussureFerdinand de SaussureFerdinand de Saussure was a Swiss linguist whose ideas laid a foundation for many significant developments in linguistics in the 20th century. He is widely considered one of the fathers of 20th-century linguistics...
(bi-modal) or Charles Sanders Peirce (tripartite) sign. - In the Piercean system of semiotics, the interpretantInterpretantAn interpretant, in semiotics, is the effect of a sign on someone who reads or comprehends it. The concept of "interpretant" is part of Charles Sanders Peirce's "triadic" theory of the sign...
becomes the representamen for another, interrelated sign. In this same way, each of the elements of the Semiotic Square (S1, S2, ~S1, and ~S2) can become an element in a new, interrelated square. - Finally, Greimas suggests placing semiotic squares of associated meaning on top of one-another to created a layered effect and another form of analysis and interpretation.
"The square is a map of logical possibilities. As such, it can be used as a heuristic device, and in fact, attempting to fill it in stimulates the imagination. The puzzle pieces, especially the neutral term, seldom fall conveniently into place … playing with the possibilities of the square is authorized since the theory of the square allows us to see all thinking as a game, with the logical relations as the rules and concepts current in a given language and culture as the pieces".
Examples of interpretation
The Semiotic Square has been used to analyze and interpret a variety of topics including: corporate language ., the discourse of science studies as cultural studies ., the fable of Little Red Riding Hood ., narration ., and computer games .Further reading
- Bonfiglioli, Stefania. 2008. "Aristotle's Non-Logical Works and the Square of Oppositions in Semiotics," Logica Universalis. 2(1): 107-126.
- Chandler, Daniel. 2007. Semiotics: The Basics. London: Routledge.
- Greimas, A.J. and Francis Rastier. 1968. “The Interaction of Semiotic Constraints,” Yale French Studies. 41: 86-105.
- Greimas, A.J. 1988. Maupassant: The Semiotics of Text. John Benjamins Publishing Co.
- Greimas, A.J., Paul Perron, Frank Collins. 1989. “On Meaning,” New Literary History. 20(3): 539-550.
- Hebert, Louis. “The Semiotic Square”. Signo: Theoretical Semiotics on the Web. www.signosemio.com/greimas/a_carresemiotique.asp.
- Katilius-Boydstun, Marvin. 1990. “The Semiotics of A.J. Greimas: An Introduction,” Litanus: Lithuanian Quarterly Journal of Arts and Sciences. 36(3). On-line. Available from internet, http://litanus.org/1990_3_02.htm.
- Lenoir, Timothy. 1994. "Was That Last Turn a Right Turn? The Semiotic Turn and A.J. Greimas," Configurations. 2: 119-136.
- Levi-Strauss, Claude. 1955. “The Structural Study of Myth,” The Journal of American Folklore. 68(270): 428-444.
- Perron, Paul and Frank Collins. 1989. Paris School Semiotics I. John Benjamins Publishing Co.
- Robinson, Kim Stanley. 1994. Red Mars. New York: Bantam Books.
- Schleifer, Ronald. 1987. A.J. Greimas and the nature of meaning: linguistics, semiotics and discourse theory. Kent: Croom Helm Ltd.
- Schleifer, Ronald. 1997. “Disciplinarity and Collaboration in the Sciences and Humanities,” College English. 59(4): 438-452.
- Schleiner, Louise. 1995. Cultural semiotics, Spenser, and the captive woman. Cranbury: Associated University Press, Inc.
- Sebeok, Thomas A. and Jean Umiker-Sebeok (Eds). 1987. The Semiotic Web 1986. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter & Co.