Practice question · Numerical answer
Peirce divides signs by their relation to what they stand for. How many kinds does his trichotomy contain?
Hints
- The name of the division gives it away.
- Icon, index, symbol.
Show the answer
3
Why
Three. The icon resembles its object, the index is really connected to it, and the symbol is purely conventional. Photographs are interesting precisely because they are both iconic and indexical, a resemblance that is also a physical trace of light, which is why they persuade us differently from paintings.
Practise The Sign, the Code and the Six Functions
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