Warning Signs: The Semiotics of Danger

Description

Warning signs are all around us. In ancient Egypt, tombs were lavishly adorned with signs and symbols warning of the dire consequences that would befall any robbers and thieves. And yet these signs were often read as provocations and challenges. Why was this? And how could we more effectively communicate dangers from our world, such as toxic waste, to future civilizations? This book examines and evaluates the kinds of signs, symbols, narratives and other semiotic strategies humans have used across time to communicate the sense of danger. From paleolithic cave art and ancient monuments to the dangers of nuclear waste, carbon emissions and other pollution, Marcel Danesi explores how danger has been encoded in language, discourse, and symbolism. At the same time, the book puts forward a plan for a more effective 'semiotising' of risk and peril, calling on linguists, semioticians and agencies to face up our collective responsibilities, and work together to more clearly communicate vitally important warnings about the dangers we've left behind to civilizations beyond the semiotic gap. Cover Halftitle page Series page Title page Copyright page Contents Figures Preface 1 Perceiving and Communicating Danger Prologue Perceiving Danger Communicating Danger Semiotic Relativity Epilogue 2 Representing and Interpreting Danger Prologue Representation Interpretation Folkloric Warnings Epilogue 3 The Sebeok Report Prologue Sebeok’s Problem Recommendations The Atomic Priesthood Nuclear Semiotics Epilogue 4 Verbal Warnings Prologue Emotivity The Metaphoricity Principle Discourse Framing Poetic Warnings Epilogue 5 Pictorial Warnings Prologue Semasiographic Warnings Disaster Art Warning Pictograms Visual Iconicity Epilogue 6 Narrative Warnings Prologue Mythic Warnings Fictional Warnings Environmental Cinema False Myths Epilogue 7 Understanding Danger Prologue Representationality Emotivity Relativity Metaphoricity Iconicity Folkloricity Narrativity Epilogue Bibliography Index