ISBN 978-88-548-5105-4

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Lexia 11-12LEx

11-12 |LexiaRivista di semiotica

Journal of semiotics 11-12

CULToWoRSHIP

a cura diMassimo Leone

CultoWorship

Non è solo teologicamente che si pone la trascendenza, o nel foro interioredegli individui, ma anche, e forse soprattutto, nella comunicazione: è at-traverso la parola, financo quella interiore, come pure attraverso i gesti,le posture, le espressioni del volto, che gli esseri umani proiettano nello spa-zio e nel tempo il simulacro di un essere superiore, o perlomeno di una su-periore dimensione dell’esistenza, cui accedere solo in occasioni extra–or-dinarie, e secondo percorsi accuratamente codificati. È poi sempre nella co-municazione, largamente intesa, che questi simulacri dell’“ontologicamentealtro” sono condivisi e potenziati nell’afflato di un gruppo, di una comu-nità, di una fede. Il numero 11–12 di «Lexia» getta uno sguardo partecipema rigoroso sulle forme semiolinguistiche di questa interazione, caratte-ristica dell’umano attraverso i secoli e le culture. Contemporaneamente siinteressa al destino di tali forme nell’epoca delle società secolarizzate, o diquelle in cui le vie tradizionali del sacro convivono e competono con nuo-vi modi di porre la trascendenza. Da un lato, dunque, ci si interroga su cosasiano (e su come siano) la preghiera, il rituale e il culto nelle religioni tra-dizionalmente intese. Dall’altro lato si investigano le metamorfosi di que-sta comunicazione nelle avventure postmoderne del sacro, quando il sen-so della trascendenza si tramuta in quello di una trascendenza del senso.Ne deriva un mosaico complesso di saggi e analisi, che spaziano dalla pre-ghiera nelle Religioni del Libro sino ai culti civili, mediatici, consumistici,artistici delle società contemporanee.

Contributi di / Contributions by Mony Almalech, Luigi Berzano, Andrea Catellani, EleonoraChiais, Anastasia Christodolou, Gianluca Cuozzo, Marcel Danesi, Antoaneta Dontcheva, Gui-do Ferraro, Francesco Garofalo, Carlo Genova, Daniela Ghidoli, Milena Hristova-Markova,Evangelos Kourdis, Eric Landowski, Massimo Leone, Eva Navarro Martínez, Andrea Papa-sidero, Jenny Ponzo, Michael Silverstein, Luisa Solis Zepeda, Simona Stano, György E. Szönyi,Davide Tatti, Dimitar Trendafilov, Ugo Volli, Reni Yankova.

In copertinaBusto di figura femminile in preghiera.Corte S. Stefano delle Canne, centro storico di Lecce.

Culto /W

orshipA

RA

CN

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1 1ISSN 1720-5298

LEXIA. RIVISTA DI SEMIOTICA

LEXIA. JOURNAL OF SEMIOTICS

11–12

LexiaRivista di semiotica

Direzione / DirectionUgo VOLLI

Comitato di consulenza scientifica /Scientific committeeFernando ANDACHTKristian BANKOVPierre–Marie BEAUDEDenis BERTRANDOmar CALABRESE †Raúl DORRARuggero EUGENIGuido FERRAROJosé Enrique FINOLBernard JACKSONEric LANDOWSKIGiovanni MANETTIDiego MARCONIGianfranco MARRONEJosé Maria PAZ GAGOIsabella PEZZINIMarina SBISÀFrederik STJERNFELTPeeter TOROPEero TARASTIPatrizia VIOLI

Redazione / EditorMassimo Leone

Editori associati di questo numero /Associated editors of this issuePierluigi Cervelli, Alfredo Cid Jurado,Mar co De Marinis, Nicola Dusi, ÉderGar cía Dussán, Armando Fumagalli,Gérard Im bert, Claudio Guerri, Ste fa -no Jacoviello, Fe derico Montanari,Fran cesco Maz zuc chelli, Fabián Ga -briel Mossello, Maria Pia Pozzato, Ma -ría Luisa Solís Zepeda, Simona Stano,María Juliana Vélez

Sede legale / Registered OfficeCIRCE “Centro Interdipartimentaledi Ricerche sulla Comunicazione”con sede amministrativa pressol’Università di TorinoDipartimento di Filosofiavia Sant’Ottavio, 2010124 TorinoInfo: massimo.leone@unito.it

Registrazione presso il Tribunale diTorino n. 4 del 26 febbraio 2009

Amministrazione e abbonamenti /Administration and subscriptionsAracne editrice S.r.l.via Raffaele Garofalo, 133/A–B00173 Romainfo@aracneeditrice.itSkype Name: aracneeditricewww.aracneeditrice.it

La rivista può essere acquistata nella sezio-ne acquisti del sito www.aracneeditrice.itÈ vietata la riproduzione, anche parziale,con qual siasi mezzo effettuata compresala fotocopia, an che a uso interno o didatti-co, non autorizzata

I edizione: giugno 2012ISBN 978-88-548-5105-4ISSN 1720-5298

Stampato per conto della A rac ne edi-trice nel mese di giugno 2012 presso latipografia « Ermes. Servizi EditorialiIn te grati S.r.l. » di Ariccia (RM).

« Lexia » adotta un sistema di doppioreferaggio anonimo« Lexia » is a double-blind peer–reviewedjournal

Lexia. Rivista di semiotica, 11–12Culto

Lexia. Journal of Semiotics, 11–12Worship

a cura diedited by

Massimo Leone

Contributi diMony Almalech

Luigi BerzanoAndrea Castellani

Eleonora ChiaisAnastasia Christodoulou

Gianluca CuozzoMarcel Danesi

Antoaneta DontchevaGuido Ferraro

Francesco GalofaroCarlo Genova

Daniela GhidoliMilena Hristova-Markova

Evangelos KourdisEric LandowskiMassimo Leone

Eva Navarro MartínezAndrea Papasidero

Jenny PonzoMichael Silverstein

María Luisa Solís ZepedaSimona Stano

Gyorgy E. SzönyiDavide Tatti

Dimitar TrendafilovUgo Volli

Reni Yankova

Copyright © MMXIIARACNE editrice S.r.l.

www.aracneeditrice.itinfo@aracneeditrice.it

via Raffaele Garofalo, 133/A–B00173 Roma(06) 93781065

isbn 978-88-548-5105-4

I diritti di traduzione, di memorizzazione elettronica,di riproduzione e di adattamento anche parziale,

con qualsiasi mezzo, sono riservati per tutti i Paesi.

Non sono assolutamente consentite le fotocopiesenza il permesso scritto dell’Editore.

I edizione: giugno 2012

Indice

11 Prefazione / PrefaceMassimo Leone

Parte IIl senso del culto nella religione

Part IThe meaning of worship in religion

1.1 Prospettive semiotiche / Semiotic perspectives

33 Culto, preghiera, tefillàhUgo Volli

63 Shikata na gai ou Encore un pas pour devenir sémioticien!Eric Landowski

89 Il rito senza parole e il cadavere che sempre racconta: pratichedi destrutturazione semiotica nella tradizione tibetanaGuido Ferraro

109 From the Hieroglyphic Monad to Angel Magic. SemioticAspects of John Dee’s EsotericismGyörgy E. Szönyi

137 Hablar a DiosMaría Luisa Solís Zepeda

5

6 Indice

153 L’initiation à la prière dans le Chemin de la vie éternelle dujésuite Antoine Sucquet (1623): un parcours entre image ettexteAndrea Catellani

169 What Does “Psalm” Mean in Hebrew?Mony Almalech

191 Being in Order. Ritual and Habit in Charles S. Peirce’s Philo-sophyReni Yankova

1.2 La prospettiva interdisciplinare /The interdisciplinary perspective

213 Il rito ovvero la questione dell’origineSergio Ubbiali

233 Dal cult al culto: l’irritazione della vicarious religionLuigi Berzano

247 Mediare le religioni africane: il caso del PentecostalismoCecilia Pennacini

263 Il senso della preghiera nella prospettiva delle pratiche socialiCarlo Genova

279 La morfologia della preghiera nell’agiografia medievaleMarco Papasidero

Parte IIIl senso del culto al di là della religione

Part IIThe meaning of worship beyond religion

2.1 Culti civili / Civil Worship

Indice 7

297 The Eucharistic Chiastic Trope in American “Civil Religion”:Ritual Interdiscursivity and the Production of Cultural Inter-textsMichael Silverstein

327 A Ritual to Deal with an Unspeakable Trauma: the Case ofthe Mothers of the Plaza de MayoCristina DemariaAnna Maria Lorusso

357 L’istituzione cultuale del Reich. Echi contemporanei del Bo-kassa di HerzogPaolo Heritier

377 I discorsi del Presidente Napolitano sull’unità nazionale comeprofessione di fede: per uno studio semiotico della religionecivileJenny Ponzo

395 Being a Politician and the Culture of Amazing your DinnerGuestsIvo Velinov

2.2 Culti mediali / Media worship

411 Anthropo–sémiotique de l’efficacité rituelle: rites religieux,rites séculaires et rites spectaculairesJosé Enrique Finol

429 Il mondo di Steve Jobs: tra visioni distopiche e indulgenzetecnologicheGianluca Cuozzo

443 Per una ritualità della morte senza il corpoEleonora Chiais

461 Facebook, santuario virtuale di gocce di vita realeDaniela Ghidoli

8 Indice

479 Semiology: the Greek Press Loves ItEvangelos Kourdis

2.3 Culti & consumo / Consumption worship

497 The Role of Irony in Ritualistic Teen TalkMarcel Danesi

509 From Earth to Altar, through the Supermarket. The Offeringsof Food to the Buddha between Thai Tradition and Moder-nitySimona Stano

527 Rituals of Consumption: a Semiotic Approach for a Typologyof NightlifeMilena Hristova–MarkovaDimitar Trendafilov

2.4 Arti del culto / Worship arts

545 Appunti sul secondo movimento della terza sinfonia di Gó-reckiFrancesco Galofaro

573 All That Fall: Ritual and Myth in Samuel Beckett’s Dramaand ProseAntoaneta Doncheva

587 Reading the City as a Poetic RitualEva Navarro Martínez

601 Raja Yoga and Semiotic Analysis. An interview with AnthonyStrano, a ‘Contemporary Yogi’Anastasia Christodoulou

621 Lo spazio della preghiera. Sacro contemporaneoDavide Tatti

Lexia. Rivista di semiotica, 11–12CultoISBN 978-88-548-5105-4DOI 10.4399/978885485105424pag. 479–495 (giugno 2012)

Semiology

The Greek Press Loves It

Evangelos Kourdis

italian title: Semiologia: la stampa greca l’adora.

abstract: Given how broadly the concept of worship is defined in the prac-tices of different semiotic systems in official culture and everyday life,Semiology, as a term but also as a science, can also become an object ofworship. The Greek press, especially, has an immense adoration for thisrelatively new scientific field, but also for Semiology as an ambiguousterm applicable to everyday life, and often uses it to make its sayingsmore prestigious. The article shows that the Greek mass media’s adora-tion for Semiology is based on three main aspects: the term’s modernity(sociological parameter), its ambiguous content (academic parameter),and the Greek people’s need to innovate and create myths (mythologicalparameter).

keywords: Semiology; worship; Greek press; interpretation; translation.

1. Introduction

We are used to connecting worship to religious sentiment or to theutmost love we may feel for another. But worship can apply to otherforms of human activity as well. Thus, we can be fans of a culturalevent, for instance a performance at the ancient theatre of Epidaurus orat the Teatro alla Scala. We can be fans of an international organizationpromoting human values, such as the fight against poverty, or theprotection of human life or the ecosystem. We can be fans of sportsevents, such as the Olympic Games or theWorld Cup. But we can alsoadore and feel awe for the sciences, such as medicine, architectureand chemistry, or the arts, for instance painting, sculpture or cooking.

Given how broadly the concept of worship is defined in the prac-tices of different meaning systems in official culture and everyday

479

480 Evangelos Kourdis

life, semiology1, as a term but also as a science, can also becomethe object of worship. The Greek press, especially, has an immenseadoration for this relatively new scientific field, but also for semiologyas an ambiguous term applicable to everyday life, and often uses itto make their sayings more prestigious. Greek journalists adore theterm semiology, which they use to explain social, particularly political,behaviours, elevating it to a superscience with interpretative and/ortranslational dimensions. From the articles studied in various domains,it has become evident that journalists prefer to use this term in politi-cal articles. This is probably due to the positive connotations of theterm, which will be mentioned in the next sections. In culture–relatedarticles, where this term is also met, the term is used denotatively.The question that arises is if the Greek public understands semiologyas intended by Greek journalists.

2. The value of the sign in Greek culture

It was not through the views of Ferdinand de Saussure and CharlesSanders Peirce that the concept of the sign was first introduced toGreece. In Ancient Greek, semeion (σημείον) (Hofmann, 1974: 196)meant a distinctive mark, a token. The verb semaino (σημαίνω)meantto indicate by means of a sign, to denote, to announce, to proclaim.The marker by means of which a grave was known was called asema (σήμα). Someone not worth acknowledging was called asemantos(ασήμαντος). He who gives a sign or signal was known as a seman-tor (σημάντωρ), a leader. Semeion was however primarily used in An-cient Greek to mean a sign sent by the gods. One such type was theDiosemia, namely an omen (bad, as a rule) sent by Zeus in the form ofthunder, lightning or other weather phenomena.

Renowned theoreticians such as Parmenides and Heraclitus had al-ready studied the concept of the sign in ancient times. For Parmenides,the signifier was also a signified, thus making it a complete and perfectunit in itself. However, Plato, in his work Cratylus, was the first to

1. In our study, we will be using the terms semiology and semiological instead of theinternationally predominant semiotics and semiotic, since it is the former set of terms thatthe Greek press makes use of.

Semiology 481

provide a systematic analysis of the problematics of semiosis. Bringinginto question the natural relationship between the signifier and thesign, Plato introduced the concept of the arbitrariness of the sign, onwhich one of the founders of modern semiology, Ferdinand de Saus-sure, was to base his theory twenty–four centuries later. Aristotle, too,studied the nature of the sign. For Aristotle, the one exclusive sign ofthorough knowledge was the power of teaching. Students of Aristotle,such as Theophrastus, also devoted time to the sign. Theophrastuswrote On Signs, a book that could be described as a combination ofthe science and traditions of the period.

In Greek Orthodox culture, semeion is synonymous with miracle.The Book of Gospels was written in Greek, and in Christian traditionsemeion (or miracle) usually denotes an act by God that is irreconcilableor which does away with natural causality.

3. Historical elements of semiology in Greece

Cobley (2001: 259), in his research in the semiotics of mass media,states that ‘the English word is a translation of French sémiologie,coined by Ferdinand de Saussure in 1894 and intended as the des-ignation for a discipline devoted to studying “the life of signs as part ofsocial life”. [. . . ] Semiology was apparently to be confined to the studyof public institutional signs, particularly those in which the relationbetween form andmeaning was arbitrary’. But is the relation betweenthe form of semiology and its meaning arbitrary as well?

Semiology appeared in Greece as a wave of scientific thought inthe early seventies. This new field caused an uproar amongst manyacademics in Greece. In the middle nineties, Lagopoulos (1996:160)argued that ‘semiotics will continue to be characterized over time bya tendency towards a systematic scientific discourse and by a markedinterest in the social and ideological conditions underlying semioticsystems’. Indeed, semiology was given scientific status, and since itwas considered capable of analysing social behaviours, it began to beused in the study of explicit and particularly implicit ideology.

In Greece, the term semiology (in Greek σημειολογία) has prevailedover the term semiotics (in Greek σημειωτική), which has fewer refer-ences. We think that this term has been chosen semiotically mainly

482 Evangelos Kourdis

due to its Greek origin: Semiology = sign (in Greek σημείο) + logos(in Greek λόγος). Sciences ending in –logy (–λογία –logia), such asphilology, archaeology, papyrology, astrology, cryptology, cardiology,and so on, are approached with particular respect and awe in modernGreece, as are notions such as culture, technology and medicine.

Greek journalists use the terms semiology2 and semiological as avehicle for message transfer and decoding. The terms are also usedby people appearing in the media as authorities in their field, e.g.academics, economists, etc., who usually fail to explain the contentof these terms. The use of the term semiology has inspired awe in theGreek public, since it assumes, based on the term’s morphology, onits use in the media and on the people who use it, that semiologyis an appealing, intriguing, indeterminate science — although manyscientists do not consider it a science3 because its scientific terrain isvery blurry.

4. Semiology in the Greek press: tentative thoughts and remarks

Semiology does not have a defined content in Greece. This is becauseof two opposing forces: on the one hand the academic community,which for decades has been negotiating the term’s content — and, inmy opinion, the scope of the term’s content too — and on the otherhand everyday life and the Greek press, which has defined semiologyusing different, not necessarily scientific, terms. There has thereforeevolved, as regards the term semiology, an antithetical relationshipbetween two different meaning systems: the academic (through liter-ature) and the everyday (through the press).

A first glance at the term semiology in the Greek press shows that theterms interpretation and translation play a key part. Although Lagopou-los (1996) notes that in Greece, after 1980, ‘semiotics is considereda given, not as something to be interpreted’, I think the content ofthe term semiology has remained unknown to the average reader ofthe Greek press until now. It seems that semiology is often used by

2. There is a similar phenomenon in the Bulgarian press, the difference being thatBulgarian journalists use the term ‘semantics’ instead of ‘semiology’.

3. For instance, for Saussure semiology is a discipline or science, for Morris a theory,for Sebeok a doctrine (Cobley, 2001: 261).

Semiology 483

Greek journalists today as a form of interpretation, but not of imme-diate decoding. It is also a term whose selection strengthens both theappeal and influence of the article in particular and the mediaspherein general. Thus, it is of special interest to study howGreek journalistsperceive semiology, since they often have recourse to it in their textswhen referring to current political events.

The Greek public seems to understand this scientific field as ameans of political analysis, and ends up identifying semiology witha way of interpreting political behaviour based on its use in the me-dia. If we consider that interpretation and translation have a primaryconnection to mediation, then we can understand the importanceof Danesi’s (2010) remarks: ‘mediation is the likely reason why themediasphere (as it is called in McLuhan studies) has largely replacedthe traditional religious sphere in shaping signification’. This paperattempts to explain the above claims through a series of journalistictexts that make use of semiology to explain different types of social be-haviour. However, mediation has a primary connection to translationand interpretation.

5. Semiotics and semiology.

This study focuses on seven excerpts selected from national and localGreek newspapers dating from 2007 to 2011. The newspapers have usedsemiology to interpret events of everyday, mainly political, life, andreflect various political tendencies (right, centre, left). The terms usedare the noun semiology and the adjective semiological. Interestingly, theAnglo–Saxon terms semiotics and semiotic that have largely dominatedthe European area have been avoided.

Moreover, semiology and semiological are rarely used in the titleof a journalistic article and usually appear in the main body. Greekjournalists rarely include words or phrases that could provide anunderstanding of the terms semiology and semiological as they appearin the body of the article. In my opinion, while by using these termsthe Greek journalist maymake his or her article soundmore scientific,he also ends up discomfiting the Greek reader, for whom the termmay not be unfamiliar, but who nevertheless does not comprehendits content.

484 Evangelos Kourdis

Figure 1. Example of an article of the Greek press

6. Semiology and semiological in the Greek press

More specifically, in the excerpt from the article appearing in the na-tionwide newspaper Rizospastis (excerpt 1), the term semiology appearsin the title and in the main body (it should be mentioned that thisnewspaper officially expresses the views of the Greek CommunistParty). Moreover, the title reproduces a phrase from the article wheresemiology is used to reflect the political atmosphere of the time. Thecommunist party criticises the socialist party for its actions as theopposition. We notice in the article that the term semiology is notidentified with the general political behaviour of the socialist party,but focuses on the message transmitted by the party’s policy. No termor phrase is included to explain the term semiology, which — I think— can be intralingually translated as ‘messages’.

Η σημειολογία του ΠΑΣΟΚ.«[. . . ] Η σημειολογία του ΠΑΣΟΚ, και πολύ περισσότερο η πολι-

τική που εφαρμόζει τόσο στην κυβερνητική εξουσία όσο και από τηθέση της �αντιπολίτευσης� αποδείχνεται πρώτης ποιότητας λίπασμαστην αμύθητη κερδοφορία των τραπεζών και των ισχυρών επιχειρη-ματιών».

(Ριζοσπάστης, 23/2/2007, σελίδα 4)

The semiology [my emphasis] of PASOK‘[. . . ] The semiology [my emphasis] of PASOK, and particularly the

Semiology 485

policies it has been implementing both when in government and in theopposition, have proven to fatten the coffers of banks and powerful busi-nessmen to bursting’.

(Rizospastis newspaper, 23/2/2007, page 4)

Excerpt 1

In the excerpt taken from an article in the Thessaloniki–basedlocal newspaper Makedonia (excerpt 2), the adjective semiological isused to characterise the attendance of colleagues of the presidentof the socialist party at the presentation of a book written by theparty’s former president. The article includes no word or expressionexplaining the term semiology.The term is associated with the semioticsystems of kinesics and proxemics and thus identified with messagetransfer in the country’s political sphere.

«Κορυφαία στελέχη και στενοί συνεργάτες του Γιώργου Παπανδρέου[. . . ] παραβρέθηκαν στην παρουσίαση του βιβλίου του κ. Σημίτη μετίτλο ‘‘Η κρίση’’ προφανώς σε μία σημειολογικού χαρακτήρα κίνησηεκ μέρους του κ. Παπανδρέου».

(Μακεδονία, 13/11/2008, σελίδα 4)

‘High–ranking politicians and close associates of George Papandreou[. . . ] attended the presentation of the book written by Mr Simitis on thecurrent crisis, apparently in a semiological [my emphasis] move arranged byMr Papandreou.

(Makedonia newspaper, 13/11/2008, page 4)

Excerpt 2

In another article printed in Makedonia newspaper (excerpt 3), thenoun semiology is qualified by the adjective political. The power and sig-nificance of semiology are emphasised, however without explainingthe term. In my opinion, the term semiology once again here replacesthe terms ‘interpretation’ and ‘hidden message’. The journalist pointsout that even though all eyes are currently on Greece’s financial is-sues, the country’s politics and its interpretations nevertheless remainextremely significant in news reporting. I believe that this is the casebecause Greeks — a rather politically aware nation — are particularlyinterested in and/or curious about hidden political messages.

486 Evangelos Kourdis

«Η πολιτική σημειολογία της ΔΕΘ παραμένει ισχυρή και εξαιρετικάσημαντική, ειδικά σε μια εποχή κατά την οποία η οικονομία έχει ε-κτοπίσει ή έχει απορροφήσει σχεδόν όλες τις άλλες πολιτικές».

(Μακεδονία, 14/9/2010, σελίδα 7)

‘The TIF’s political semiology [my emphasis] remains strong and ex-tremely significant, especially at a time when the economy has supplantedor absorbed almost all the other policies.’

(Makedonia newspaper, 14/9/2010 page 7)

Excerpt 3

In the following excerpt from the nationwide newspaper Kathimerini(excerpt 4), the term semiology appearing in the main body of the ar-ticle replaces the term ‘interpretation’, suggesting that there is anunderlying message behind a particular political move. Of course,even though the political move made by the Turkish prime ministeris a political indication of something, the journalist points out that thisshould be interpreted in a specific way, irrespective of the fact that hefails to state exactly how.

«Η επιλογή του κ. Γκιουλ να απορρίψει συνάντηση με τον ισραη-λινό ομόλογό του, Σιμόν Πέρες και να συναντηθεί με τον ΙρανόΠρόεδρο, Μαχμουντ Αχμετντινετζάντ, είχε τη δική της ιδιαίτερη ση-μειολογία ως προς τις προτεραιότητες της Τουρκίας τη δεδομένη χρο-νική περίοδο’’.

(Καθημερινή, 26/9/2010, σελίδα 14)

‘Mr Gül’s decision to refuse a meeting with his Israeli counterpart Shi-mon Peres and tomeet instead with Iranian PresidentMahmoud Ahmadine-jad has its own particular semiology [my emphasis] as regards Turkey’s prior-ities at this point in time.’

(Kathimerini newspaper, 26/9/2010, page 14)

Excerpt 4

The next excerpt is from a nationwide, centre–left newspaper, Eleft-herotypia (excerpt 5), where the term semiology is found in quotationmarks in the body of the article. The quotation marks semantically en-cumber the decodification of the term for two reasons: first, no wordor phrase is included in the article to explain the term semiology, andsecond, even if the reader interprets/translates the term, he will have

Semiology 487

to re–examine his interpretation based on what the quotation marksconnote. Here, too, I believe, the journalist uses the term semiology toreplace the terms ‘interpretation’ and ‘hidden message’.

«Η ακύρωση, την τελευταία στιγμή και με ‘‘σχεδιασμένα’’ άκομψατρόπο, από τη ρωσική διπλωματία, που είναι από τις πιο σχολαστικέςπαγκοσμίως στη ‘‘σημειολογία του πρωτοκόλλου’’, της επίσκεψης τουΣτ. Λαμπρινίδη στη ρωσική πρωτεύουσα δείχνει ότι η Μόσχα έπαυ-σε πλέον να τηρεί και τα προσχήματα, σύμφωνα με πεπειραμένουςαναλυτές».

(Ελευθεροτυπία, 11/6/2011, σελίδα 47)

‘The purposefully tactless, last–minute cancellation of Mr Lambrinidis’visit to the Russian capital by Russian diplomats, who are among the mostfastidious in the world when it comes to the ‘semiology [my emphasis] ofprotocol’, is a sign, experienced analysts believe, that Moscow has stoppedkeeping up appearances.’

(Eleftherotypia newspaper, 11/6/2011, page 47)

Excerpt 5

In another excerpt taken from the same newspaper (excerpt 6), thenoun semiology is used instead of the term ‘phrasing’, since the articleplaces emphasis on the fact that the American president phrased hiswords carefully when speaking about a global political issue, namelythe Palestinian problem. Further down, the journalist uses the expres-sion ‘public phrasing’, which is essentially an intralingual translationof the term semiology.

«Η διαφορετική σημειολογία που επιστράτευσε ο πρόεδρος των ΗΠΑΜπαράκ Ομπάμα για να διατυπώσει στις δύο διαδοχικές ομιλίες τουτη θέση για τη δημιουργία παλαιστινιακού κράτους δείχνει ξανά πως— και για τους Ισραηλινούς και για τους Παλαιστίνιους — η ακριβήςδημόσια διατύπωση του σημείου έναρξης διαπραγ–ματεύσεων είναιτόσο σημαντική όσο και εκείνη του σημείου τερματισμού τους».

(Ελευθεροτυπία, 25/5/2011, σελίδα 13)

‘The different semiology [my emphasis] that US President Barack Obamabrought into play in two successive talks to express his position on thecreation of a Palestinian state once again proves that — for both Israelis and

488 Evangelos Kourdis

Palestinians — the precise public phrasing used at the start of negotiationsis as important as that used at their conclusion.’

(Eleftherotypia newspaper, 25/5/2011 page 13)

Excerpt 6

The final excerpt studied (excerpt 7) was also taken from Eleft-herotypia newspaper. Here, the term semiology appears in the title. Itspeculiarity is that in the main part of the text the term ‘interpretations’is provided as an intralingual translation of semiology. The journalistchose this intralingual translation to help the reader decode the termsemiology since the dots before the term burden the term semantically.

Θα μπορούσαμε να μιλήσουμε και για τη. . . σημειολογία μιας είδησης.

Χθες, ο πρωθυπουργός ρωτήθηκε από δημοσιογράφο του πρακτο-ρείου Reuters για το πολυσυζητημένο τον τελευταίο καιρό ενδεχόμενο–νέας– αύξησης του ΦΠΑ. Παραθέτουμε αυτούσια την απάντησή του:«Υπήρχε η πιθανότητα της περαιτέρω αύξησης του ΦΠΑ σε κάποιαπροϊόντα, αλλά αναζητούμε άλλους τρόπους εισροής εσόδων. Αυτήτη στιγμή η κυβέρνηση λέει “όχι” στην περαιτέρω αύξηση». Η πρω-θυπουργική απάντηση χωράει, μάλλον, πολλές ερμηνείες [. . . ].

(Ελευθεροτυπία, 24/9/2010)

‘We could also refer to the . . . semiology [my emphasis] of a news item.Yesterday, the primeminister was asked by a Reuters journalist about the

hot issue of a possible, new rise in VAT. We quote his reply: “There was apossibility of further increasing VAT on some products, but we are seekingother ways to raise funds. At the moment the government is saying ‘no’ tofurther hikes”. The prime minister’s reply has many possible interpretations[my emphasis] [. . . ].

(Eleftherotypia newspaper, 24/9/2010).

Excerpt 7

It should be noted at this point that the terms semiology and semi-ological —whether appearing in the title or in the main body of thearticle, or in both, whether or not encumbered semantically in theirdecodification owing to the punctuation used and whether or nottranslated intralingually in the main body of the article — in theGreek press seem to serve as an intralingual translation of the terms‘interpretation’ and ‘translation’ (in the broader sense of the word).

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Furthermore, even though the journalists have written the articles forthe purpose of conveying information to readers, they seem to viewthe connotative use of speech as more appropriate — a view which isserved through their use of the terms semiology and semiological.

7. Semiology and semiological in the Greek press: an initial approachfrom a reader’s point of view

Based on the material studied above, in 2011 a pilot study was con-ducted on a small sample of informants comprising twenty studentsfrom the French Language and Literature Department of the AristotleUniversity of Thessaloniki. In this study, in which seven texts werehanded out, twenty students were asked about the content of theterms semiology and semiological found in articles of the Greek press.The students, who had not yet attended any courses on semiology,cited interpretation and translation as terms that could possibly definethe content of the terms semiology and semiological. The students ob-served that journalists make frequent use of the term interpretationin the main body of an article and that the term translation could beused to provide a broader description of this cognitive process.

8. Semiology, interpretation, translation: a long–standing relation-ship

An analysis of the material gathered leads us to the observation thatthe Greek press uses the term semiology as a type of interpretation —a term that is actually interchangeable with interpretation. In this waythe journalist takes advantage of the respect engendered by the mor-phology of the term (semiology) and the indeterminate content of theterm (as we argued previously as regards readers’ lack of familiaritywith its content).

The process of semiosis has often been approached through trans-lation in a wide sense since many researchers consider interpretationas translation. For instance, for Gadamer (1976: 406) each translationis always interpretation. In fact, each translation is the outcome ofhow the translator (in our case, the journalist) has interpreted a word

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(here, semiology or semiological). Various semioticians of translationagree with this. Lawendoswki (1978: 268) defines interpreting as a‘very difficult type of oral translation’; Petrilli (2007: 312–313) and Fabbri(2008: 114) also consider interpretation as a kind of translation. Thisstance is rooted in the interpretative semiotics of Peirce and has trig-gered a hot debate with other researchers such as Eco (2006: 265–298).Thus, the fact that Greek readers identify the term semiology withthe terms interpretation and/or translation, although not based onscientific criteria, comes as no surprise.

It is worth mentioning that interpretation is combined with com-prehension. Thus, Gadamer (1976: 411) also added that ‘each com-prehension is interpretation’. Steiner (1998: 264), following this view,stated that ‘translation is, and always will be, the mode of thoughtand understanding’, while for Gorlée (1994) ‘translation is the same assign interpretation, and sign interpretation is translation’. The termtranslation has been used many times in a wider sense. Schogt (1986:1107) remarks that we can use translation with a ‘loose usage of theterm’ and Stecconi (2009: 262) that ‘the scope of the term translationhas arguably become too wide in the past few years, with translationbeing used as a synecdoche for most types of ordinary communica-tion, such as writing, reading and conversing’. Based on the abovetheoretical approaches on translation and interpretation the followingpattern can be produced:

Interpretation←→ translation→ understanding

Pattern 1

In the late Seventies, Eco (1978: 74) mentioned that ‘when speak-ing for a semiotic field today, one is compelled to list an impressive,wide–ranging array of approaches, all of which are concerned in someway with the process of signification at different levels of complexityand discernibility’. Viewed from this perspective, approaches suchas translation, interpretation and meaning broaden the concept ofsemiosis, thus facilitating understanding — a profound understand-ing. Tarasti (2004: 85), presenting some of the main categories ofunderstanding, mentions that for the structuralists ‘understanding isto move from phenotext to genotext, or in general to reduce some-thing from the “surface” to something “deeper”’. Since semiology

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furthers this search for a deeper signification, the previous pattern canbe adjusted to meet the needs of this study as follows:

Semiology→ Interpretation←→ translation→ understanding

Pattern 2

9. In lieu of a conclusion

The average Greek newspaper reader’s limited scientific knowledgeof semiology has led him to assume a connection between the termand political discourse due to its frequent use in political news arti-cles. Greek readers do not usually have the opportunity to study thecontent of the term in relation to other social activities and environ-ments. Based on this study, the sign semiology has as a signifier theword ‘σημειολογία’ (semiologia), but the signified is unknown to thereaders of the Greek press, so the first–order system is incomplete.According to Saussure, the signified of the term semiology is ‘a sciencewhich studies the role of signs as part of social life’. To bridge thisgap in their knowledge, readers mobilise the signified interpretationor translation, motivated by the political discourse in the Greek press.But the signifieds interpretation and translation are signs themselves,so we have a second–order system.

Media texts use often second–order meanings. Danesi (2010), re-ferring to the semiotics of media and culture, praises Barthes’s con-tribution, who in his Mythologies signals the start of media semioticsproper. Barthes propagated that media texts recycle mythological orsecond–order (connotative) meanings. As Danesi remarks: ‘Barthesclaimed that a large part of the emotional allure of media culturespectacles is due to the fact that they are based on a pastiche of un-conscious mythic texts and meanings. To distinguish between theoriginal myths and their contemporary versions, Barthes designatedthe latter mythologies’.Wemust not forget that a myth is not definedby the object of its message, but by the way the object is presented.So, could a science of communication such as semiology becomejust another mythology? Can the study of semiology be placed next toeveryday social phenomena characterized by Barthes as mythologies,

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such as cooking, catch and strip–tease? This will depend on the pathsemiology will choose to take.

Bibliographic references

Barthes R. (1996), “Denotation and connotation”, in P. Cobley (ed.) TheCommunication Theory Reader, Routledge, Lonodn, 129–33.

Cobley P. (2001), The Routledge Companion to Semiotics and Linguistics, part1. Routledge, London and New York.

DanesiM. (2010), “Semiotics of Media and Culture”, in P. Cobley (ed.) TheRoutledge Companion to Semiotics, Routledge, London and New York,135–49

Fabbri P. (2008), Le tournant sémiotique, Lavoisier, Paris.

GorléeD. (1994), Semiotics and the Problem of Translation: With Special Refer-ence to the Semiotics of Charles S. Peirce, Rodopi, Amsterdam and Atlanta.

Gadamer G. (1976), Vérité et Méthode (1960), French. trans. P. Fruchon andG. Merlio, Seuil, Paris.

Hofmann J.B. (1974), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της Αρχαίας Ελληνικής [Etymo-logicon of Ancient Greek ], s.n., Athens.

Lagopoulos A.–P. (1996), “Semiotics in Greece”, in I. Rauch and F. Gerald(eds) Semiotics around the World: Synthesis in Diversity, vol. 1, Mouton deGryter, Berlin, 157–60.

EcoU. (1978), “Semiotics: A Discipline or an Interdisciplinary Method?”, inT. Sebeok (ed.), Sight, Sound and Sense, Indiana University Press, Bloom-ington and London, 73–83.

——— (2006), Dire presque la même chose. Expériences de traduction, Frenchtrans. M. Bouzaher, Grasset, Paris.

Lawendowski B. (1978) “On Semiotic Aspects of Translations”, in T. Se-beok (ed.) Sight, Sound and Sense, Indiana University Press, Bloomingtonand London, 264–82.

Petrilli S. (2007), Interpretative Trajectories in Translation Semiotics, “Semi-otica”, 163, 1: 311–45.

Schogt H. (1994) “Translation”, in T. Sebeok (ed.) Encyclopedic Dictionaryof Semiotics, vol. 2, Berlin and New York, Mouton de Gruyter, 1107–11.

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Stecconi U. (2009) “Semiotics”, in M. Baker and G. Saldanha (eds) Rout-ledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies, Routledge, London and NewYork, 260–3.

Steiner G. (1998), After Babel: Aspects on Language and Translation, OxfordUniversity Press, Oxford.

Tarasti E. (2004) “Understanding, Misunderstanding, and Self–understan-ding”, in K. Tsoukala, E. Hodolidou, A. Christodoulou, and G. Michai-lidis (eds) Semiotic Systems and Communication: Action, Interaction, Situa-tion and Change, Paratiritis, Thessaloniki, 74–92.

Press articles under scrutiny

A.M. (2008), Αγγελιοφόροι προσέγγισης του Κώστα Σημίτη, [messengersto approach Kostas Simitis], in “Makedonia”, 13/11/2008, 4.

Anonymous (2007),Η σημειολογία του ΠΑΣΟΚ [the semiology of PASOK],in “Rizospastis”, 23/2/2007, 4.

AntoniouD. (2010),Η Τουρκία, νέα περιφερειακή κραταιά δύναμη, [Turkey,the new regional mighty power], in “Kathimerini”, 26/9/2010, p. 14.

KonstadakopoulosD. (2010),Σε βαθιά κατάψυξη οι σχέσεις Ελλάδας–Ρωσίας[Greek–Russian relationship on ice], in “Eleftherotypia”, 11/6/2011, 47.

Pantelakis G. (2010), Θα μπορούσαμε να μιλήσουμε και για τη. . . σημειο-λογία μιας είδησης [we could also refer to the ... semiology of a newsitem], in “Eleftherotypia”, 24/9/2010.

PyrgiotiM. (2010),Η ΔΕΘ όπως θα θέλαμε να είναι [TIF, the way we wantit to be], in “Makedonia”, 14/9/2010, 7.

Vagena D. (2011), Οι λεκτικοί εποικισμοί Ομπάμα [Οbama’s verbal settle-ments], in “Eleftherotypia”, 25/5/2011, 13.

Evangelos KourdisAristotle University of Thessaloniki