释意方法与符号分类

符號分類是符號學研究中的一項重要課題。早在一個多世紀前,美國符號學家查爾斯·桑德斯·皮爾斯就為這項工作打下堅實的基礎,提出著名的三分法。后人對此沿用為多,質疑不夠,導致符號分類的種種混亂,乃至相互矛盾。為此,我們有必要從符號發生學的角度對皮氏理論提出修正,亦即,強調以釋意方法作為符號分類的依歸。 Classification of signs is a vital enterprise in semiotic research.As early as over a century ago,the American semiotician Charles Sanders Peirce laid down a solid foundation for this work by proposing his famous trichotomy of signs.Later scholars have been mostly applying Peirce’s theory to their own semiotic studies rather than challenging the inadequacies that exist therein,thus giving rise to a great deal of confusions or even contradictions.The present article modifies Peirce’s theory from the perspective of sign emergence and evolution and emphasizes the importance of classifying signs in accordance with interpretive methods.