Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
tion among people is possible due to articulation
of the signs used.
articulation. Some (for example, thbz, 2000) hold
that computer language designers create double
articulated languages, such as Java or C
++
by
using compilers that perform lexical analysis of
vocabulary; tokens that have well-defined meaning
are formatted from letters belonging to a fixed set
(ASCII). At the second level of articulation, num-
bers, letters, and symbols are combined to form
words. Then, in the first level of articulation, those
words are ordered into statements. This enables
computer programmers to create a huge variety of
programs from a very small number of symbols
(Wisegeek, 2012). Machines can process the web
of data and sign systems directly and indirectly.
Semantic Web, a collaborative movement led
by the World Wide Web Consortium develops a
framework for sharing and reusing the data across
applications.
Double Articulation of
Signs in Natural and
Programming Languages
In a double articulated code an infinite number
of possible combinations may be done from a
finite number of signs. This is possible because
the rules controlling communication are acting
on two structural levels, in a similar way as in
speech. A study of syntax tells about principles
and processes decisive in the construction of
phrases and sentences. It has been generally ac-
cepted that a possibility of making a great variety
of sentences results from double articulation on
a syntactic level. Two types of elements interact
in creating the meaning in language. Phonemes
are the single units - speech sounds without any
meaning. Morphemes are the smallest gram-
matical elements of a sentence: words or parts of
words. In order to convey meaning, morphemes are
developed through the combining of phonemes.
A finite number of morphemes may be combined
into a sentence according to the rules of syntax.
An infinite number of correct sentences may be
constructed this way. German linguist and semioti-
cian Winfried Nöth (2000, 1990) finds the double
articulated codes in the systematic codes used in
library or warehouse catalogues, and the codes
of data processing.
A study on the articulation of sign systems
may relate also to formal languages that serve
as a basis for creating programming languages.
Computational semiotics, for instance algebraic
semiotics that also supports social semiotics, ap-
plies theories of natural languages, cognitive study,
logic, mathematics, and computing to the domain
of programming in order to expand the theory
of signs and apply it to methods of knowledge
representation, studies on artificial intelligence,
and computer-human interaction. A question has
been around whether computer codes have double
Double Articulation of Signs
in Various Domains
Possibly, double articulation is not unique for ver-
bal messages, so one may look for some analogy of
double articulation of speech in other domains, for
example, in organization of the Japanese calendar,
in formation of protein molecules and a genetic
code as well. Maybe organization of the Japanese
calendar could be discussed as an example of the
double articulation of symbols. In the Japanese
calendar one may see the pairing of symbols as a
combination of 12 zodiac signs and the stems of
wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. The seven-day
week names for the days correspond to those used
in the Western world but they are also paired with
symbols. Combination comprises the 12 zodiac
signs, traditional names, and the names that come
from the five visible planets (with names of planets
given according to the Chinese elements - wood,
fire, earth, metal, and water), and the moon and
sun (Schumacher, 2011).
According to Manuel DeLanda (2000), double
articulation is the process that makes up layers or
strata. In the first articulation, substances (types
