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In Signs, Language and Communication readers familiar with the arguments of Professor Harris' previous work, including Signs of Writing, will find those ideas developed here to cover not just writing, but aspects of art, design and manufacture.
Roy Harris proposes a new theory of communication. He begins with the premise that the mental life of an individual should be conceived as a continuous attempt to integrate the present with the past and future. He concludes by arguing that communication should be viewed as both a product and a resource of this constant act of integration.
List of contents
Preface 1 The study of communication 2 Before communication 3 Communication and choice 4 Communication and intention 5 Communication processes 6 Communication and ritual 7 Communication and signs 8 Sign and signification 9 Segregational models of signification 10 Sign and contextualization 11 Communication and self 12 Communication and codification 13 Communication and change 14 Communication and content 15 Communication and consensus Epilogue
About the author
Roy Harris is Emeritus Professor of General Linguistics at Oxford University and is the author of numerous publications, including The Language-Makers, The Language Myth, The Language Machine and The Origin of Writing.
Summary
In this challenging and important book, Harris proposes and explanatory account of communication which accords with our lay understanding of human existence.
Additional text
' ... challenging and thought-provoking book, ...' - Hayley Davis, Language and Literature
