Ancient Languages and Civilizations12 Signs Signification in a Global Comparative Perspective

This volume explores premodern sign theories on a global comparative scale through introductions to key primary sources in their original languages and English translation, examining the historical continuities and disruptions of semiosis in exegesis, divination, logic, and natural philosophy. Theories and practices of signification have flourished across space and time. This book examines premodern thinking on signs in ancient Greek philosophy, Chinese divination, Islamic theology, Hebrew epistemology, medieval Latin logic, South Asian language theory, and early modern European artificial languages. Each chapter analyzes and contextualizes key primary sources presented in their original language and English translation, offering rich resources for comparative analysis of approaches to semiosis in religious and scholarly exegesis, prognostication, and the philosophical search for distinctions between natural and artificial signs. The volume brings to light both universal concerns and unique cultural features that shaped the evolution of semiotics.