ABSTRACT

The overarching aim of semiotics is to study semiosis (the production and comprehension of signs) as it manifests itself in human and non-human spheres. The general study of semiosis comes today under the rubric of biosemiotics, whereas the study of human semiosis, in specific cultural contexts, comes instead under the rubric of cultural semiotics (Posner et al. 1997-2004). As a cultural science, the latter discipline has proven itself to be particularly well suited as a framework for analysing the signs, texts, and signifying practices used by the contemporary mass media.