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Notation Engineering: 

A Proposed New Discipline 

in Semiotics Author: Jeffrey G. Long (jefflong@aol.com) 

Date: October 25, 1997 

Forum: Talk presented at the at the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Semiotic Society 

of America. 

 

Contents 

Pages 1‐15: Slides (but no text) for presentation 

 

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Notational Engineering:A Proposed New Discipline in SemioticsA Proposed New Discipline in Semiotics

Jeffrey G. LongGWU Notational Engineering Laboratory

Copyright 1997 © Jeffrey G. Long

Obj tiObjectives

Discuss the evolving scope of semiotic studiesDescribe the distinctive features of notational

systemsPropose a ‘notational turn’ in semioticsDescribe the goals of notational engineering

Th E l i S f S i ti St diThe Evolving Scope of Semiotic Studies

1880’s: modern origins in Peirce and Saussure 1940’s: applications in other social sciences

– anthropology (Levi-Strauss)– literary criticism (Barthes)

h l i (L )– psychoanalysis (Lacan)

1960’s: any patterned communication systems not only human or animal but cellular also– not only human or animal but cellular also

– synchronic rather than evolutionary focus– unit rather than comparative focusunit rather than comparative focus

F G l Ki d f Si S tFour General Kinds of Sign System

E l f N t ti l S tExamples of Notational Systems

We Have Many Mistaken Assumptions y pAbout Notational Systems

NS are sets of written marks, e.g. , , , , , a, b, c, 1, 2, 3...

N i i l bb i i iNotation is merely abbreviation, a minor communication convenience

N t ti i i id t l t tiNotation is incidental to perception “H2O” is a simple notation, as is “$3.50” or

“hello”hello

Notational Engineering g gInvolves Four Main Areas

N t ti l S t H Fi L lNotational Systems Have Five Levels

N t ti l S t M A SNotational Systems Map A-Spaces

Each NS maps a different abstraction space– Possible Identity, Group, Relation, Form , Quantity,

State etcState, etc.

A revolutionary NS arises from the discovery or substantial extension of an abstraction spacesubstantial extension of an abstraction space

A useful notational system says something about the nature of reality and the nature of cognitionthe nature of reality and the nature of cognition

New media are critical to the degree they permit new or improved tokenization p

We Have So Far Settled Maybey12 of 20 Major A-Spaces

Like Any Tool, Every Notation Has y , yBoth Strengths and Limitations

We don’t go sailing in automobiles; we shouldn’t (e.g.) use English for complex rules

U i h li i d NS iUsing the wrong, or too-limited, a NS is inescapably self-defeating

C l it i h i f l itComplexity is a euphemism for perplexity– Many if not most problems today are fundamentally

representational in characterrepresentational in character– They cannot be solved by working harder or using

faster computers– We need fundamentally new abstractions (e.g. for rules)

But There is No Systematic Approach y ppto Notational Development

We take what we have for granted; it is the cognitive sea we swim in

N NS hi i ll d i h d i iNew NS are historically treated with derisionNS are ad hoc, often developed over hundreds of

yearsThere is no underlying theory of NS-as-mapsTh i b d l d dThere is no test bed, approval process, or standards

body for abstractions

P d ‘N t ti l T ’ i S i tiProposed ‘Notational Turn’ in Semiotics

CommunicationsExistence CommunicationsExistence

We Need A New Discipline of pNotational Engineering

Cross-notational Cross-culturalLongitudinal, i.e. “historically” basedSeeking explanatory hypotheses subject to

experimental verification Philosophically well-grounded and defensible

Revolutionary new NS could be better constructed, tested and utilized

N t StNext Steps

Clearinghouse for people, facts, theories, references, methodologies

F di f b h b i d li d hFunding for both basic and applied research– government

foundations– foundations– businesses

Demonstration projects that make a real differenceDemonstration projects that make a real difference