ABSTRACT
Anyone who can read and write also has an idea about what usually can be called a ‘text’. If, however, we try to define (or at least explicate) the notion text, we are faced with the following questions: What should be called a ‘text’ (i) a physical semiotic object or a relational semiotic object (i.e. the manifestation of a signifier-signified relation)? (ii) a unimedial or a multimedial object? (iii) an object that is an element of a semiotic system or an object that belongs to the domain of applying such a system? (iv) only a totally autonomous or also a partially autonomous semiotic object? Finally, depending on the answers given to the questions (i)-(iv) what should be declared as criteria of textuality?—It is only possible to understand the history and the present state of text research if the problems involved in the questions formulated above are clearly recognised.
