From signs of language and culture to semioses of life: appreciating Tom Sebeok’s role in the building of global semiotics

Abstract

Abstract This paper is an attempt at evaluating the advancement of the conceptual and methodological framework of semiotics across its neighboring disciplines as launched and promoted by Thomas Albert Sebeok on a worldwide scale. Writing in a first-person account, the author describes, firstly, his own road to the semiotic study of linguistics, owing to the acquaintance with editorial outputs as well as with the professional proficiency of this founding father of global semiotics as a visiting scholar with an affiliation in the Research Center for Language and Semiotic Studies of Indiana University at Bloomington. And secondly, he also tries to assess the power of Sebeok’s influence on the career progress of his contemporaries, scholars, followers, and pupils. Some of them, including the author himself, acted soon after as distinguished masters of particular semiotic disciplines or organizers of international enterprises. Finally, the author provides an epistemological evaluation of semiotic thresholds in the research activities of scientists.