Keywords In and Out of Context

I am happy to say that my most recent article (“On Thresholds: Signs, Symbols, and Significance“) has now been published in Volume 79 issue 4 of the Journal of Documentation. This was material originally intended for my book but which ended up not being as directly relevant to “keywords” as the other chapters so I decided to remove it, but the overarching concept of “semiotic thresholds” (a phrase first introduced by Umberto Eco and subsequently refined by various biosemioticians, as it applies to so many more living entities than simply human beings) was so intriguing to me that I continued to work on it as a separate piece in the hope that other LIS researchers might find it of interest (and that some semiotics researchers might find the connection to LIS work of interest as well!)

From the abstract:

Purpose

This paper reviews research developments in semiosis (sign activity) as theorized by Peirce, Eco and Sebeok, focusing specifically on the current study of “semiotic threshold zones,” which range from the origins of life through various nonhuman life forms to artificial life forms, including those symbolic thresholds most familiar to library and information science (LIS) researchers. The intent is to illustrate potential opportunities for LIS research beyond its present boundaries.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper provides a framework that describes six semiotic threshold zones (presemiotic, protosemiotic, phytosemiotic, zoosemiotic, symbolic and polysemiotic) and notable work being done by researchers in each.

Findings

While semiotic researchers are still defining the continuum of semiotic thresholds, this focus on thresholds can provide a unifying framework for significance as human and nonhuman interpretations of a wide variety of signs accompanied by a better understanding of their relationships become more urgent in a rapidly changing global environment.

Originality/value

Though a variety of semiotic-related topics have appeared in the LIS literature, semiotic thresholds and their potential relationships to LIS research have not been previously discussed there. LIS has traditionally tasked itself with the recording, dissemination and preservation of knowledge, and in a world that faces unprecedented environmental and global challenges for all species, the importance of these thresholds may well be considered as part of our professional obligations in potentially documenting and archiving the critical differences in semiosis that extend beyond purely human knowledge.