Marcel Danesi - Of Cigarettes, High Heels, and Other Interesting Things An Introduction to Semiotics

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Among species, human beings seem to be a peculiar lot. Why is it, for example, that certain members of the species routinely put their survival at risk by puffing on a small stick of nicotine? Why is it that some females of the species make locomotion difficult for themselves by donning high-heel footwear? Are there hidden or unconscious reasons behind such strange behaviors that seem to be so utterly counter-instinctual, so to speak?

For no manifest biological reason, humanity has always searched, and continues to search, for a purpose to its life. Is it this search that has led it to engage in such bizarre behaviors as smoking and wearing high heels? And is it the reason behind humanitys invention of myths, art, rituals, languages, mathematics, science, and all the other truly remarkable things that set it apart from all other species? Clearly, Homo sapiens appears to be unique in the fact that many of its behaviors are shaped by forces other than the instincts. The discipline that endeavors to understand these forces is known as semiotics . Relatively unknown in comparison to, say, philosophy or psychology, semiotics probes the human condition in its own peculiar way, by unraveling the meanings of the signs that undergird not only the wearing of high-heel shoes, but also the construction of words, paintings, sculptures, and the like.

This is not a comprehensive textbook on semiotic theory and practice. My aim is to present the basic notions of semiotics that help us probe how humans produce meanings and how these constitute small-scale versions of the larger-scale need to unravel the meaning of life. Studying the raison dtre of the latter has always beenand continues to bethe aim of philosophy, theology, and various other disciplines; studying the raison dtre of the former is the specific goal of semiotics , which can be defined simply as the study of produced meaning. I have left out many of the technical details of sign theory and I have not gone into any in-depth discussion of the pivotal contributions made by theorists, since these belong to a more comprehensive treatment. My hope is that this book will engender in the reader the same kind of inquisitive frame of mind with which a semiotician would closely examine people and cultures and why they search for meaning. Perhaps the greatest mental skill possessed by Homo sapiens, literally the knowing animal, is the ability to know itself. Semiotics helps sharpen that skill considerably.

The first edition of this book came out in 1999. To my pleasant surprise, it struck a chord among many readers. One of the reasons may have been that, in it, I decided to contrive my presentation of semiotics around a seemingly trivial scene, but one that nonetheless appears to reveal a lot about the human need for meaning. The scene was a fashionable modern-day restaurantan urban courtship setting where wooing rituals are performed in a sign-based manner. The fictional actions in that scene allowed me to tell the semiotic version of the human condition in concrete terms. A second edition was published in 2009. Much has changed in the world since that edition. Therefore, in this updated third edition I have retained that scene as a framework for describing semiotic ideas, although even there some radical changes have taken place such as, for instance, the virtual elimination of smoking from public venues due to changes in social attitudes towards cigarettes and their meanings. The world has also become much more digitalized and technologically sophisticated since then, with the Internet practically replacing all other media systems for the routine transmission and recording of information. Such changes have informed the revision of this book.

Similar to the previous editions, however, I have taken nothing for granted. I have defined in clear language and illustrated with common examples any concept that is basic to semiotic theory. I have also avoided making constant references to the technical literature. The works that have informed my commentaries, descriptions, and analyses are found in the endnotes. I have tried to cast as wide a net as possible, attempting to exemplify within two covers how semiotics can be used effectively to probe human nature in specific ways. As in previous editions, I wish to assure the reader that I have made every possible attempt to emphasize method of analysis, rather than my personal views. Whether one agrees or disagrees with any or all of my commentaries is, in fact, beside the real purpose of this book, which is to spur readers to identify and reflect upon the unconscious meanings that flow through the system of everyday life in which they take part on a daily basis.

The first edition of this book was the idea of the late Professor Roberta Kevelson of Penn State University, a leading semiotician. She will be missed greatly. It was Michael Flamini of St. Martins Press who brought it to fruition as editor. The invitation to put together a second edition comes from Farideh Koohi-Kamali, also of the Press. This edition is made possible by Shaun Vigil, my editor at Palgrave. I cannot thank them all enough for their support and enthusiasm. I am also deeply grateful to Victoria College of the University of Toronto for granting me the privilege of teaching semiotics for many years. This has allowed me to learn a great deal about human nature from the enthusiastic students I have taught. I have learned more from them than they have from me. Finally, a heartfelt thanks goes out to my family, Lucy, Alexander, Sarah, Danila, Chris, and Charlotte, for all the patience they have had with me over the years. I would like to dedicate this book to my late father, Danilo. He was a simple and kind soul who inspired generosity and benevolence in all those around him.