The semiotic aspects of Sanctius’ Minerva

Abstract

Summary The purpose of this paper is to delineate Sanctius’ views on signs. To achieve this goal those passages have been analized in which the author made direct mention of signs as well as those where the reference is implicit. The first part of this study covers the historical background leading to Sanctius. The second, by far the longest, focuses on Sanctius, in particular his views on interjectional, gestural, and linguistic signs. Among the latter, the word and the sentence as instrumental signs reflecting reality are considered. The third and final part attempts to show how his theory possibly influenced Juan Pablo Bonet’s gesture language. It is concluded that although Sanctius is not a semioticist, his linguistic theorizing rests upon the broader knowledge provided by the field of what we now call semiotics.