{"id":10213,"date":"2026-03-30T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.raziemah.com\/blog\/?p=10213"},"modified":"2025-10-12T20:26:40","modified_gmt":"2025-10-12T20:26:40","slug":"looking-at-mikhail-trunins-article-2017-semiosphere-and-history-part-2-of-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.raziemah.com\/blog\/?p=10213","title":{"rendered":"Looking at Mikhail Trunin’s Article (2017) “Semiosphere and history”\u00a0\u00a0(Part 2 of 8)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

0854 According to the Trunin, various reviewers conclude that Uspenskij proposes that history, as a species of semiotics, is analogous to the linguistic act of communication, that is, spoken language.  Indeed, for the fundament interscope, history can be viewed as a literary text2bf<\/sub> substantiated by written language2bm<\/sub>.  So, the reviewers are not off base.  Spoken and written language as matter2bm<\/sub><\/em> substantiates history in the form of a literary text2bf<\/sub><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

0855 On the content level, history already enters into the picture as past historic thoughts2am<\/sub> and historic words2af<\/sub>.  What is spoken2af<\/sub> can be written2af<\/sub>.  Many scholars claim that history only begins with the invention of writing<\/em>, because written texts provide evidence that spoken words cannot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, what is the nature of the written… or spoken word?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, if the word involves an explicit abstraction, the signifier is a label<\/em>.  The signified may be called a “definition”, because the label operates on the potential of ‘something’, and that something… um… must be plausible enough to conjure a “definition”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did I say that correctly?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0856 Remember the historical moment when nouns were subjugated by verbs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, I guess it was a prehistorical moment<\/em> that is imagined by an archaeologist who never read Razie Mah<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This archaeologist proposes that the first spoken words<\/em> are nouns, because things can be associated to sounds through synaesthesia<\/em>.  That is “cross-modal cognition”. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, verbs come along because, once nouns are spoken, verbs are necessary to validate the nouns as relevant, that is, capable of doing something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0857 Here, the noun is the historic thought2am<\/sub> that emerges from and situates the potential of definition<\/em> (reference) and label<\/em> (utterance)1a<\/sub>.  An utterance2af<\/sub> <\/em>labels1a<\/sub> a definite thing1a<\/sub> (er… a signified1a<\/sub>) and voila!  The form<\/em> is the spoken word2af<\/sub><\/em> in the normal context of definition3a<\/sub><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, the verb subjugates the noun, producing statements1b<\/sub> that serve as artifacts2bm<\/sub> that validate the relevance of nouns2c<\/sub>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0858 The archaeologist’s own written words2bm<\/sub><\/em> emerge from (and situate) the possibility of a prehistoric era where nouns arise through synaesthesia and verbs appear in order to provide relevance to the nouns1b<\/sub>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, that is a little confusing because the archaeologist’s written words2bm<\/sub><\/em> are about spoken words2af<\/sub><\/em> that arise during a postulated prehistoric era when statements become possible1b<\/sub><\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

0859 So, these prehistoric folk<\/em> construct statements<\/em> as artifacts1b<\/sub>,<\/em> but cannot produce written words because writing has not been invented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The archaeologist<\/em> constructs the artifact of prehistoric statements1b<\/sub><\/em> as as a way to write about2bm<\/sub> the previous statement2af<\/sub><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plus, the archaeologist’s written words2am<\/sub><\/em> go into a literary text2bf<\/sub> titled, Talk to Me: The Prehistory of Simple Statements<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0860 Of course, Uspenskij’s claims are also theoretical.  Theory carries implications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the article bearing the title, “Historia sub species semitiotica”,<\/em> consists of an application. Uspenskij makes a detailed case study for how the reformer, Peter the Great, ended being regarded as the antichrist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0861 Nonetheless, I pause and reflect on the implications appearing in bright green in the preceding figure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0862 On the content level, I substitute “label” for signifier1a<\/sub> and “historic speech” for parole2af<\/sub>, implying that the efficient cause of a spoken word2af<\/sub><\/em> is the potential of a label1a<\/sub><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, I substitute “definition” for signified1a<\/sub> and “historic thought” for langue2am<\/sub>, intimating a final causality.  Saussure’s semiology3a<\/sub><\/em> intends to bring langue as matter2am<\/sub><\/em> into relation with the potential of definition as the signified1a<\/sub><\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

0863 But, there is a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Definition1a<\/sub>” cannot be a signified1a<\/sub>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Definition3<\/sub> is a normal context that brings the actuality of a spoken word2<\/sub> into relation with the potentials of meaning, presence and message1<\/sub>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0864 Does that mean that a word’s meaning, presence and message1<\/sub> may be labeled, “definition1a<\/sub>“?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0865 Well, why don’t I replace the term, “definition1a<\/sub>” with the term, “reference1a<\/sub>“.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A spoken word2af<\/sub> cannot picture or point to its referent1a<\/sub>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, how can I assume that my label1a<\/sub> for the signifier1a<\/sub> potentiates a signified1a<\/sub> that pictures or pointes to its referent1a<\/sub>, especially when that referent1a<\/sub> is an explicit abstraction?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0866 I suppose that when definition1a<\/sub> replaces the signified1a<\/sub> in Saussure’s semiology3a<\/sub>, the constellation2<\/sub> of meaning, presence and message1<\/sub><\/em> is deferred in favor of the construction of a situation-level artifact1b<\/sub><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0867 Definition1a<\/sub> as signified1a<\/sub><\/em> is definition3<\/sub> as normal context<\/em> deferred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notably, the content-level of the adjacent higher interscope<\/em> reproduces the category-based nested form for<\/em> how to define a spoken word<\/em>.  So technically, definition1a<\/sub> is deferred in the fundament interscope<\/em> and manifested in the derivative interscope<\/em> of the Tartu-Moscow School of Semiotics3a<\/sub>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The content-level of the derivative interscope<\/em> mimics the unfolded Positivist’s judgment<\/em> and expresses (however imperfectly) the category-based form for defining a spoken word<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

0854 According to the Trunin, various reviewers conclude that Uspenskij proposes that history, as a species of semiotics, is analogous to the linguistic act of communication, that is, spoken language.  Indeed, for the fundament interscope, history can be viewed as a literary text2bf substantiated by written language2bm.  So, the reviewers are not off base.  Spoken and written language as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[418],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article-review"],"yoast_head":"\nLooking at Mikhail Trunin's Article (2017) "Semiosphere and history"\u00a0\u00a0(Part 2 of 8) - An Archaeology of the Fall<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.raziemah.com\/blog\/?p=10213\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Looking at Mikhail Trunin's Article (2017) "Semiosphere and history"\u00a0\u00a0(Part 2 of 8) - 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