What does the word signs mean

By appealing to the role of conventions, it is thought, we can distinguish linguistic signs, the meaningful use of words, from mere natural ˜signs™. ❋ Glüer, Kathrin (2009)

Passion of sudden death! that once in youth I read and interpreted by the shadows of thy averted signs [Footnote: «_Averted signs_»: — I read the course and changes of the lady’s agony in the succession of her involuntary gestures; but it must be remembered that I read all this from the rear, never once catching the lady’s full face, and even her profile imperfectly.]! ❋ Thomas De Quincey (1822)

Proglem is google initially replaces all your blank spaces with + signs, the +signs with a % 2B code and so on. ❋ Unknown (2008)

Morgan Chase & Co.’s report last week showing that fourth-quarter profit jumped 47% amid what it called signs of strength among U.S. consumers and businesses. ❋ David Benoit (2011)

And trying to read the signs is amusing, because a lot of thm just say «Thank you.» ❋ Tragic_elegance (2008)

Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates said on a visit to Afghanistan last week that he was heartened by what he called signs of progress. ❋ Ernesto Londono (2010)

Democrats and liberal groups have been alarmed by what they describe as signs of possible retreat by the White House on especially important issues, and they argue that jettisoning a public plan would amount to a betrayal of those who supported Obama’s historic candidacy last year. ❋ Unknown (2009)

President Obama strongly defending his ambitious economic agenda today, declaring his policies are generating signs what he called signs of economic progress. ❋ Unknown (2009)

He said the FNL was wary of negotiating with the government delegation given the alleged truce violations which he termed signs of Bujumbura’s insincerity and lack of commitment to peace. ❋ Unknown (2005)

John XXIII explicitly defined that task by identifying, in his 1963 encyclical «Pacem in Terris,» what he called the signs of the times — three reasons for tremendous hope. ❋ Unknown (2005)

Mufamadi expressed concern about what he described as signs of further deterioration of the security situation in Lesotho. ❋ Unknown (1998)

No one uses words except as signs of something else; and hence may be understood what I call signs: those things, to wit, which are used to indicate something else. ❋ Saint Augustine (1887)

Which part of these protest signs is supposed to tell me, «I don’t agree with your policy»? ❋ Unknown (2009)

The GOP heads might start showin ‘signs of serious enthusiasm. ❋ Unknown (2009)

CARL KASELL, host: The crime rate for street signs is soaring. ❋ Unknown (2010)

This is all even after countless reports of auditions and meetings and apparent near-signs from a dozen other actors including Ryan Gosling, Jack Black, Emile Hirsch, Jared Leto and a slew of other young up and comers. ❋ Unknown (2009)

[damn], i got signs…where [the hell] is a [bathroom]! ❋ Shnoog (2004)

«Yo [Dogg], ur new [vid] is da sh*t. [Kep] it gangsta foo.» ❋ ~Theresa~ (2005)

Dude #1: Man, that girl just told me she wants someone to [watch] [Frozen] with
Dude #2: It’s a [sign]! ❋ Oborawatabinost (2015)

So why? What have you [learnt]? If you can have a Number One, [anything is possible]. Don’t forget to [sign on]. ❋ Katharevousa (2011)

«Hey, is that Signe [over there]?»
«[Yep].»
«[Cool]!» ❋ Ragnhild (2007)

«Signe is just the [sweetest]! She’s always [so nice].»
«You’re so sweet. What’s [your name]?»
«Signe.»
«That explains everything.» ❋ Scandinavianbrunette (2014)

«[Signe] is so amazing she once did 3 lines»
«is that [signe]… i think [my eyes are bleeding], its [a good thing]» ❋ Daniel Cee (2006)

«I think they should make Canada the [2nd] [New York].»
/[signed] ❋ JDM (2006)

[Necronomicon]: [Nerf] Gattsu!
Taux: /signed.
Sixyp: /signed! ❋ SilvermoonLanguageDirectory (2005)

[Hellraiser] 1: Dude, I just jacked a Police Parking Only Sign while signing last night!
Hellraiser 2: You [got balls] man, but mine is funnier, it says, «Speed Humps Zone»! [That one’s] goin’ in my dorm for sure. ❋ TZR (2006)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A sign is an object, quality, event, or entity whose presence or occurrence indicates the probable presence or occurrence of something else.^[1] A natural sign bears a causal relation to its object—for instance, thunder is a sign of storm, or medical symptoms a sign of disease. A conventional sign signifies by agreement, as a full stop signifies the end of a sentence; similarly the words and expressions of a language, as well as bodily gestures, can be regarded as signs, expressing particular meanings. The physical objects most commonly referred to as signs (notices, road signs, etc., collectively known as signage) generally inform or instruct using written text, symbols, pictures or a combination of these.

The philosophical study of signs and symbols is called semiotics; this includes the study of semiosis, which is the way in which signs (in the semiotic sense) operate.

Nature[edit]

Semiotics, epistemology, logic, and philosophy of language are concerned about the nature of signs, what they are and how they signify.^[2] The nature of signs and symbols and significations, their definition, elements, and types, is mainly established by Aristotle, Augustine, and Aquinas. According to these classic sources, significance is a relationship between two sorts of things: signs and the kinds of things they signify (intend, express or mean), where one term necessarily causes something else to come to the mind. Distinguishing natural signs and conventional signs, the traditional theory of signs (Augustine) sets the following threefold partition of things:
all sorts of indications, evidences, symptoms, and physical signals, there are signs which are always signs (the entities of the mind as ideas and images, thoughts and feelings, constructs and intentions); and there are signs that have to get their signification (as linguistic entities and cultural symbols). So, while natural signs serve as the source of signification, the human mind is the agency through which signs signify naturally occurring things, such as objects, states, qualities, quantities, events, processes, or relationships. Human language and discourse, communication, philosophy, science, logic, mathematics, poetry, theology, and religion are only some of fields of human study and activity where grasping the nature of signs and symbols and patterns of signification may have a decisive value. Communication takes place without words but via the mind as a result of signs and symbols; They communicate/pass across/ messages to the human mind through their pictorial representation.

Types[edit]

The word sign has a variety of meanings in English, including:

• Sun signs in astrology
• Sign or signing, in communication: communicating via hand gestures, such as in sign language.
• Gang signal
• Sign, in Tracking (hunting): also known as Spoor (animal); trace evidence left on the ground after passage.
• A signboard.
• A sign, in common use, is an indication that a previously observed event is about to occur again
• Sign, in divination and religion: an omen, an event or occurrence believed to foretell the future
• Sign, in ontology and spirituality: a coincidence or surprising event thought to reveal divine will; see synchronicity
• Sign (linguistics): a combination of a concept and a sound-image described by Ferdinand de Saussure
• In mathematics, the sign of a number tells whether it is positive or negative. Also, the sign of a permutation tells whether it is the product of an even or odd number of transpositions.
• Signedness, in computing, is the property that a representation of a number has one bit, the sign bit, which denotes whether the number is non-negative or negative. A number is called signed if it contains a sign bit, otherwise unsigned. See also signed number representation
• Sign, in biology: an indication of some living thing’s presence
• Medical sign, in medicine: objective evidence of the presence of a disease or disorder, as opposed to a symptom, which is subjective
• Sign (semiotics): the basic unit of meaning
• Information sign: a notice that instructs, advises, informs or warns people
• Traffic sign: a sign that instructs drivers; see also stop sign, speed limit sign, cross walk sign
• Sign, in a writing system: a basic unit. Similar terms which are more specific are character, letter or grapheme
• Commercial signage, including flashing signs, such as on a retail store, factory, or theatre
• Signature, in history: a handwritten depiction observed on a document to show authorship and will
• For marketing or advocacy purposes, a signage refers to the collective use of signs to convey a message.

Christianity[edit]

St. Augustine was the first man who synthesized the classical and Hellenistic theories of signs. For him a sign is a thing which is used to signify other things and to make them come to mind (De Doctrina Christiana (hereafter DDC) 1.2.2; 2.1.1). The most common signs are spoken and written words (DDC 1.2.2; 2.3.4-2.4.5). Although God cannot be fully expressible, Augustine gave emphasis to the possibility of God’s communication with humans by signs in Scripture (DDC 1.6.6). Augustine endorsed and developed the classical and Hellenistic theories of signs. Among the mainstream in the theories of signs, i.e., that of Aristotle and that of Stoics, the former theory filtered into the works of Cicero (106-43 BC, De inventione rhetorica 1.30.47-48) and Quintilian (circa 35–100, Institutio Oratoria 5.9.9-10), which regarded the sign as an instrument of inference. In his commentary on Aristotle’s De Interpretatione, Ammonius said, «according to the division of the philosopher Theophrastus, the relation of speech is twofold, first in regard to the audience, to which speech signifies something, and secondly in regard to the things about which the speaker intends to persuade the audience.» If we match DDC with this division, the first part belongs to DDC Book IV and the second part to DDC Books I-III. Augustine, although influenced by these theories, advanced his own theological theory of signs, with whose help one can infer the mind of God from the events and words of Scripture.

Books II and III of DDC enumerate all kinds of signs and explain how to interpret them. Signs are divided into natural (naturalia) and conventional (data); the latter is divided into animal (bestiae) and human (homines); the latter is divided into non-words (cetera) and words (verba); the latter is divided into spoken words (voces) and written words (litterae); the latter is divided into unknown signs (signa ignota) and ambiguous signs (signa ambigua); both the former and the latter are divided respectively into particular signs (signa propria) and figurative signs (signa translata), among which the unknown figurative signs belong to the pagans.
In addition to exegetical knowledge (Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria 1.4.1-3 and 1.8.1-21) which follows the order of reading (lectio), textual criticism (emendatio), explanation (enarratio), and judgment (iudicium), one needs to know the original language (Hebrew and Greek) and broad background information on Scripture (DDC 2.9.14-2.40.60).

Augustine’s understanding of signs includes several hermeneutical presuppositions as important factors. First, the interpreter should proceed with humility, because only a humble person can grasp the truth of Scripture (DDC 2.41.62). Second, the interpreter must have a spirit of active inquiry and should not hesitate to learn and use pagan education for the purpose of leading to Christian learning, because all truth is God’s truth (DDC 2.40.60-2.42.63). Third, the heart of interpreter should be founded, rooted, and built up in love which is the final goal of the entire Scriptures (DDC 2.42.63).

The sign does not function as its own goal, but its purpose lies in its role as a signification (res significans, DDC 3.9.13). God gave signs as a means to reveal himself; Christians need to exercise hermeneutical principles in order to understand that divine revelation. Even if the Scriptural text is obscure, it has meaningful benefits. For the obscure text prevents us from falling into pride, triggers our intelligence (DDC 2.6.7), tempers our faith in the history of revelation (DDC 3.8.12), and refines our mind to be suitable to the holy mysteries (DDC 4.8.22). When interpreting signs, the literal meaning should first be sought, and then the figurative meaning (DDC 3.10.14-3.23.33). Augustine suggests the hermeneutical principle that the obscure Scriptural verse is interpreted with the help of plain and simple verses, which formed the doctrine of «scriptura scripturae interpres» (Scripture is the Interpreter of Scripture) in the Reformation Era. Moreover, he introduces the seven rules of Tyconius the Donatist to interpret the obscure meaning of the Bible, which demonstrates his understanding that all truth belongs to God (DDC 3.3.42-3.37.56). In order to apply Augustine’s hermeneutics of the sign appropriately in modern times, every division of theology must be involved and interdisciplinary approaches must be taken.^[3]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• The dictionary definition of sign at Wiktionary

Asked by: Dr. Kendrick Hartmann PhD

Score: 4.3/5
(3 votes)

The definition of a sign is anything that shows a meaning, a mark used as an abbreviation or shortening of something, or a publicly displayed board. An example of sign is a symbol from a loved one who has passed. An example of sign is a thumbs up for a good job. An example of sign is an advertisement for a sale. noun.

What does the at sign mean in texting?

It is frequently used in typing and text messaging as an abbreviation for «at». In Portugal it may be used in typing and text messaging with the meaning «french kiss» (linguado). In online discourse, @ is used by some anarchists as a substitute for the traditional circle-A.

What does sign mean slang?

By the 2010s, the at sign had become so widespread as a way to tag someone on social media that people began using it as a verb, to at or @ someone, or “mention someone directly in a message.” The verb is especially common in the phrase don’t @ me.

How does the sign represent meaning?

A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different concepts and experiences. … The academic study of symbols is semiotics.

What Go sign means?

1 (in Britain) an offensive gesture made by sticking up the index and middle fingers with the palm of the hand inwards as an indication of contempt, defiance, etc. 2 a similar gesture with the palm outwards meaning victory or peace. go gaga exp. go crazy about something, get enthusiastic.

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