Structuralism & Semiotics Conclusion

Key words for Structualist and Semiotic approaches: I. Following language as a model Self-enclosed System with Basic Elements Binary Oppositions; Universal grammar and Semantic Rectangle. II. Disclosing the deep/basic structure of a text, which is a (combination or selection) system of meaning composed of basic elements such as (next page):

-- binaries, or semantic rectangles, -- roles/actant and functions, or narrateme, -- story and discourse, -- narrator- narratee, -- metaphor and metonymy, -- grammatical parts of speech, or lexemes, -- signs or signification on different levels (signifier and signified).

Questions: Reductive? Disregarding meaning, textual complexities, or the author ’ s intention? De-centering, dehumanizing? Do we really think in terms of binaries? Does Structuralism/Semiotics ignore social and historical factors?

Sociological Extensions and Uses of Structuralism/Semiotics How is our social existence modeled after language as a system of relations? From work to text (textuality); From identity to system of relations; From myth to ideology; “ Myth -- the complex system of images and beliefs which a society constructs in order to sustain and authenticate its sense of being. ” From structuralism/semiotics to marxism