SIGN

A sign is anything that represents to a knowing power something other than itself. For example, the color white, which is not itself joy, is a sign of joy in the Latin rite. A sign, then, is always distinguished from the thing signified; it is not a matter of the volitional or emotional orders, but of the cognitive. Nevertheless, the knowing power need not be the intellect; the sign is a reality of the brute-animal world as well as of the human.

Types of Sign. There are six traditional types of sign: natural or artificial, instrumental or formal, imaging or nonimaging. A natural sign receives its significative force from nature itself, as smoke is a sign of fire. An artificial or arbitrary sign, on the other hand, receives its significative force from those using the sign, as a white color signifies joy for some people. When an artificial sign is imposed by tradition, it is sometimes called a customary sign; otherwise, it is a conventional sign. An instrumental sign is one that must be known apart from and before the thing signified. Thus one must first learn of the connection between smoke and fire, between white and joy, before smoke and white can become signs. When a sign is known together with the thing signified, on the other hand, it is a formal sign. An example is a bird's danger cry, which conveys its meaning at once, even though it may never have been heard before. An instrumental sign requires previous education and experience; a formal sign is grasped intuitively. An imaging sign is one that pictures the thing signified, as in picture writing; a nonimaging sign is one that does not picture the thing signified, as in writing employing an alphabet.

Uses of Sign. The sign plays a role in philosophy and theology, as well as in formal disciplines. In philosophy, realists consider the concept or idea as the natural and formal sign of extramental reality, and the term or word as the artificial and instrumental sign of the concept. For this reason the universal term is called universale in significando, i.e., the universal as it is a sign (see universals). In theology, sign is indispensable for discussing the sacraments and the liturgy, although for the latter symbol is frequently used as synonymous with sign. Modern mathematicians and logicians restrict their use of symbol to artificial, nonimaging signs, usually written, such as "p," or "q," (see logic, symbolic). In linguistic analysis, discussions of meaning are basically discussions of signs and what they signify (see semantics; semiotics).

[e. bondi]