Approaches to Communication: Trends in Global Communication Studies

By Susan Petrilli

The framework developed by Thomas A. Sebeok in his "global semiotics" is currently the most useful for investigating the nature and function of representation in human systems. The capacity to represent immediate reality is not unique to human animals, but the capacity to frame an indefinite number of possible worlds is unique to humans. This unique aspect of representational capacity in humans has led to "true culture," requiring a way to represent all the subtleties of language, in contrast to "nonhuman culture." It is on this level that nonverbal- and verbal-form assemblages blend together functionally and systematically. - from the Preface by Marcel Danesi This book proposes approaches to communication from different viewpoints. Their common objective is to contribute to what can be designated as Global Communication Studies. In our world, communication is all-pervasive. This calls for the broadest possible vision of the global sign network and an understanding of the sense of the role each of us must play in it. Consequently, the problem of communication is closely connected to the problem of responsibility. The book is dedicated to the late Thomas A. Sebeok.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1891859757
• ISBN13: 9781891859755
• Release Date: November 2008
• Publisher: Atwood Publications
• Length: 387 Pages