ABSTRACT
From its beginning the task of semiology was the investigation of the mechanics of signs operating in human communication. It was no accident that for a long time linguistic signs played a dominant role in semiological studies. Later the investigation of meaning was generalized to include phenomena transcending the process of intentional communication. An animal may leave traces, a criminal fingerprints: these 'indices' carry meaning without being conceived as signs intended for communication . In the same way sultry weather can be seen as conveying information to the experienced organism (either human or animal) about an imminent storm. Semiology must thus account for meaning both in communication and beyond communication.
