Vimarsh

“In traditional rhetoric, ‘device for changing the basic meaning of a word are termed as tropes.’”  - Tomashevsky  (Quoted in Universe of Mind by Yuri Lotman)   Brief explanation: The statement means: In classical and traditional rhetoric and literary theory, tropes are specific figures of speech or rhetorical devices that alter or shift the literal or basic meaning of a word or phrase.   Simple breakdown: Literal meaning = the ordinary, dictionary definition of a word. Trope = a deliberate twist or turn (from Greek tropos = "turn") that makes the word mean something different from its basic sense.   Common examples of tropes: Metaphor: "He is a lion." (changes "he" from a person to something brave or fierce). Metonymy: "The White House issued a statement." (uses "White House" to mean the U.S. President or administration). Synecdoche: "All hands on deck." (uses "hands" to mean whole sa...

"Most animals feel stress when they sense danger. Humans feel stress when they 'imagine' danger." The above quote highlights a key difference between how animals and humans experience stress. Breakdown: Animals: Their stress is reactive and tied to the present moment. When they detect a real, immediate threat like a predator nearby, loud noise, or sudden movement, their body triggers stress (fight-or-flight) to help them survive. Once the danger passes, the stress usually disappears quickly. Humans: Our stress is often proactive and imaginative. We don't need an actual danger in front of us — we can create it in our minds through worry, anticipation, rumination, or "what if" thinking. We stress about future possibilities, e.g., "What if I lose my job?", past mistakes, or imagined scenarios that may never happen. This mental simulation keeps our stress response active even when we're physically safe. Why it matters: This ability to imagine ...

“ The same principle can be seen in a more consistent form, not in art, but in moralistic and religious texts such as parables, in myths and in proverbs. Repetitions found their way into proverbs at a time when they were not yet perceived aesthetically but had a much more important mnemonic or moralising function. ” -Yuri Lotman The quotation comes from Yuri Lotman, a prominent Soviet/Russian semiotician and cultural theorist. It appears in his book Universe of the Mind: A Semiotic Theory of Culture. In this passage, Lotman discusses repetition as a structural device in texts. He contrasts its role in "art", especially poetry and literary works, with its appearance in non-artistic, more "practical" or functional genres like parables , myths , and proverbs . Key ideas in the quotation Lotman observes that repetition, for example, parallel structures, redundant phrasing, rhythmic echoes, or symmetrical patterns, often appears in artistic texts. In art, such repetiti...

When a culture is analysed as a code or system (an also happens with natural languages), the processes of use are richer and less predictable that the semiotic model which explains them. Reconstructing a code of a culture does not mean explaining all the phenomena of that culture, but rather allows us to explain why that culture has produced those phenomena.  -Umberto Eco (Universe of Mind) The above quote comes from Umberto Eco's introduction to Yuri Lotman's Universe of the Mind: A Semiotic Theory of Culture (1990), where Eco reflects on Lotman's ideas while drawing on his own semiotic framework. Here’s a clear breakdown of what the passage means: “When a culture is analysed as a code or system (and also happens with natural languages), the processes of use are richer and less predictable than the semiotic model which explains them.” A “ code ” or “ system ” in semiotics refers to a structured set of rules and conventions that allow signs (words, images, gestures, ...

"Semiotics, I will contend, is not about what something means; it is about how it means." - Göran Sonesson The above statement comes from semiotician Göran Sonesson (in his 2003 work, and frequently quoted in discussions of visual and cultural analysis, such as studies of Che Guevara's image). It captures a crucial shift in how semiotics is understood—moving away from a simplistic "dictionary" view of meaning toward a dynamic, process-oriented perspective. The common (but limited) misunderstanding People often think semiotics is basically "the study of what signs or symbols mean": Red light → "stop" Rose → "love or romance" Cross → "Christianity" Nike swoosh → "performance / just do it" This is mostly semantics — asking, "what does X refer to or stand for?" (It refers to the 'what' question). The semiotic shift: focus on "how" Sonesson (and many contemporary semioticians) ...

Language is an institutionalized form. The interpretation(s) is/are subjective in nature (and culture). -J.A.H. Khatri The above statement captures two complementary ideas from linguistics, sociolinguistics, philosophy of language, and anthropology. It highlights both the socially structured / collective character of language and the individually / culturally variable way meaning is created when people use or understand it. Let's break it down clearly: 1. "Language is an institutionalized form" This means language is not a purely individual, spontaneous, or private creation — it is a social institution , much like law, money, marriage, education systems, or religion. It is "institutionalized" because: It exists as a shared, historically developed system that is maintained and transmitted across generations by communities/societies. It comes with norms, rules, conventions , and expectations that speakers mostly follow without thin...