لطفا منتظر باشید ...
Meaning Results When a Sign Is Interpreted
Peirce's definition suggests that meaning results when a sign is interpreted; a sign stands for something, to somebody, in some respect or capacity. Although this may seem like an obvious point it is important to note, for it calls attention to the outcome of the process by which signs gain value within a system. Consider sitting down to eat a bowl of soup at a formal dinner party and finding a pair of chopsticks next to the bowl. One response would be to disregard the chopsticks as a sign for "spoon," and instead ask the waiter for the missing utensil. Within this scenario we are interpreting a set of signs within the sign system representing "soup utensils," of which spoons -and not chopsticks-are part. Within this system, the sign for spoon has value, whereas the sign for chopstick does not. Another example: If player A in a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors holds up three fingers in the shape of a "W" instead of two in the shape of a "V," she has failed to create a sign that has value, or meaning, within the rock, paper, scissors sign structure of the game. Player B might say, "What is that supposed to be?" in an attempt to infuse the sign with value within the system of the game. If player A responds, "Scissors," then player B has two choices. She can either accept the new sign as representative of "scissors" or she can reject the interpretation. If she accepts the new representation, the players have, in effect, added a new sign to the system; a three-fingered sign that now means "scissors."
