Introduction:

Asian Perspectives on Semiotics

Abstract

Broadly speaking, semiotics is the study of sign systems and the process of signification. Viewing the world of meaning in terms of systems of signs and attempting to understand the manifold ways in which we interpret those signs has been the concern of philosophers since ancient times. As the study of philosophy became further subdivided in the modern era, the study of semiotics contributed to the establishment of various disciplines, notably anthropology and linguistics, and later, cultural studies and its offshoots. The study of semiotics now spans what we call the humanities and the social sciences and, importantly (though peripherally), has even branched out into the natural sciences in the field that is termed ‘biosemiotics’.