Philosophy Dictionary of ArgumentsHome
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| Signals: A signal is a physical quantity that conveys information about a phenomenon. It can be represented by a function of time, space, or both. Signals can be analog or digital. See also Information, Sign, Symbol, Information, Communication._____________Annotation: The above characterizations of concepts are neither definitions nor exhausting presentations of problems related to them. Instead, they are intended to give a short introduction to the contributions below. – Lexicon of Arguments. | |||
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Terrence W. Deacon on Signals - Dictionary of Arguments
I 32 Signals/Sign language/Signal language/Non-human language/Deacon: Characteristics: a language-like signal should have a combinatorial structure with distinguishable elements, which in turn must be able to occur in new combinations. It should enable creative production of new outputs with little redundancy. Although there are a large number of possible combinations, most of these combinations would be excluded. Cf. >Language, >Words, >Signs, >Symbols, >Syntax, >Meaning. I 466 Note Signal language: Some languages based on signs are not based on the human language, but differ considerably from it (see Bellugi and Klima, 1982)(1). I 32 The correlations between signals and events and objects should not be a simple 1:1 mapping. >Reference, >Objects, >Events. I 33 These correlations should be radically but systematically different from case to case. These characteristics have a syntax, even if it is no syntax that corresponds to human language. Games, mathematics and even cultural habits have such characteristics. >Play. However, an extraterrestrial signal with such features would still not be decipherable. Animal signals: since they are isolated or little organised, they are described in summary rather than through formal rules. It is highly unlikely that an existing system would have been overlooked here, especially in the case of cosmic signals. Cf. >Language rules. Non-human communication/Deacon: Conclusion: it is not about the fact that human communication is somehow better, but about the fact that it is simply not comparable. >Communication. Social communication: does not simply replace words with gestures. >Gestures. 1. U. Bellugi und E.S. Klima (1982). From gesture to sign: Deixis in a visual gestural language in context. New York: John Wiley, 297-313_____________Explanation of symbols: Roman numerals indicate the source, arabic numerals indicate the page number. The corresponding books are indicated on the right hand side. ((s)…): Comment by the sender of the contribution. Translations: Dictionary of Arguments The note [Concept/Author], [Author1]Vs[Author2] or [Author]Vs[term] resp. "problem:"/"solution:", "old:"/"new:" and "thesis:" is an addition from the Dictionary of Arguments. If a German edition is specified, the page numbers refer to this edition. |
Dea I T. W. Deacon The Symbolic Species: The Co-evolution of language and the Brain New York 1998 Dea II Terrence W. Deacon Incomplete Nature: How Mind Emerged from Matter New York 2013 |
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Ed. Martin Schulz, access date 2024-04-28