Danesi Marcel. Messages, Signs, and Meanings: A Basic Textbook in Semiotics and Communication

3rd edition. — Toronto: Canadian Scholars’ Press. — xvi, 393. — (Studies in Linguistic and Cultural Anthropology). — ISBN: 1-55-130-250-0.From IntroductionThis is a basic textbook in Semiotics.It has been designed specifically for use by students taking introductory courses in semiotics, communications, media, or culture studies. It can be used, additionally,by those taking courses in cognate disciplines (psychology, mythology, education, literary studies, anthropology, linguistics) as a complementary or supplementary text. Its organization and contents are based on a first-year course in semiotics and communicationtheory I have been teaching at VictoriaCollege of the University of Toronto since 1987. I have composed it so that a broad audience can appreciate the fascinating and vital work going on in this relatively unknown area of scientific-philosophical inquiry, most of which is often too technical for general consumption. I have thus made every attempt possible to build upon what the reader already knows intuitively about signs. Nevertheless, the style is not so diluted as to make it a popular “all-you-wanted-to-know-aboutsemiotics-but-were-afraid-to-ask” book. Some effort to understand the subject matter of each chapter on the part of readers will be required.Since the focus of this book is practical, the usual critical apparatus of references to the technical literature is kept to a minimum. I have alsoprovided opportunities for readers to do “hands-on” semiotics through the exercises and questions for discussion that accompany each chapter. These are found in Appendix A at the back. Biographical sketches of a few major figures in the field are also included in Appendix B. There is also a convenient glossary of technical terms.The overall plan of the book is as follows. Part I (Signs) consists of six chapters dealing with the basic semiotic notions and techniques. The first two introduce the foundational concepts of the discipline, and may require more effort to grasp than all subsequent chapters. Chapter 3 discusses nonverbal signs, chapter four visual signs, chapter five verbal signs, and chapter six metaphorical signs. The topics dealt with in Part I1 (Messagesand Meanings) constitute areas of application-myth and narrative, art, clothing, food, space, television, advertising, communication, and media. In other words, the nine chapters that make up this part are meant to illustrate how message-making and meaning-malung can be studied from the specific vantage point of the discipline of semiotics.