Cognitive semiotics

Abstract

Cognitive semiotics is a new field dedicated to the transdisciplinary study of meaning, involving above all researchers from semiotics, linguistics, developmental and comparative psychology, and philosophy. A nonexhaustive survey of the field shows the following research areas as being particularly representative: cognitive semantics, gesture studies, (language) evolution, semiotic development, and the embodied mind. The work of groups and academic institutions is also briefly described. On this basis, the following features are listed as characteristics of cognitive semiotics, distinguishing it from other approaches studying mind and meaning: emphasis on the conceptual“empirical loop, ontological pluralism and methodological triangulation, influence of phenomenology, meaning dynamism, and transdisciplinarity. The ultimate goal of cognitive semiotics is to provide insights into the nature and culture of human beings, and their similarities and differences compared to other creatures, thus helping to mend the gap between the humanities and the sciences, without succumbing to reductionism.