Marcel Danesi (born 1946) is Professor of

Semiotics Semiotics (also called semiotic studies) is the systematic study of sign processes ( semiosis) and meaning making. Semiosis is any activity, conduct, or process that involves signs, where a sign is defined as anything that communicates something ...

and

Linguistic Anthropology Linguistic anthropology is the interdisciplinary study of how language influences social life. It is a branch of anthropology that originated from the endeavor to document endangered languages and has grown over the past century to encompass mo ...

at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

. He is known for his work in

language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of ...

communication Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inqui ...

s and

semiotics Semiotics (also called semiotic studies) is the systematic study of sign processes ( semiosis) and meaning making. Semiosis is any activity, conduct, or process that involves signs, where a sign is defined as anything that communicates something ...

and is Director of the program in semiotics and

communication theory Communication theory is a proposed description of communication phenomena, the relationships among them, a storyline describing these relationships, and an argument for these three elements. Communication theory provides a way of talking about a ...

. He has also held positions at

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

(1972), University of Rome "La Sapienza" (1988), the Catholic University of Milan (1990) and the

University of Lugano A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

. He is the

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of ''Semiotica'', the official journal of the

International Association for Semiotic Studies International Association for Semiotic Studies (''Association Internationale de Sémiotique'', IASS-AIS) is the major world organisation of semioticians, established in 1969. Members of the association include Algirdas Julien Greimas, Roman Jakob ...

, and is a past-president of the Semiotic Society of America. Danesi regularly contributes to global discussions on semiotics and human behaviors with appearances including a discussion on kissing on ''The Deep Cover Show with Damien Dynan'' and the origins of puzzles in ''Best Health'' magazine.

Publications

Danesi is the author of several books. His published work considers the semiotic and anthropological aspects of

emoji An emoji ( ; plural emoji or emojis) is a pictogram, logogram, ideogram or smiley embedded in text and used in electronic messages and web pages. The primary function of emoji is to fill in emotional cues otherwise missing from typed conv ...

, popular culture, puzzles, crime, youth and a range of other topics. His 2016 book, ''The Semiotics of Emoji'', traces the use of emoji back to its anthropological and sociological roots. Reviewing the book in the journal ''Semiotica'' (of which Danesi himself has been editor-in-chief since 2004), Omonpee W. Petcoff wrote, "The author purposefully and masterfully presents semiotics principles and pedagogy in non-technical terms. The outcome is a text that, while rich in semiotics fundamentals and terminology, is also inviting, engaging, and, accordingly, accessible to diverse readers." The Internet linguist

Gretchen McCulloch Gretchen McCulloch () is a Canadian linguist. On her blog, as well as her podcast Lingthusiasm (which she cohosts with Lauren Gawne) she offers linguistic analysis of online communication such as internet memes, emoji and instant messaging. She ...

's analysis of the book in her review in the ''

Canadian Journal of Linguistics The ''Canadian Journal of Linguistics'' (French: ''Revue canadienne de linguistique'') is a triannual peer-reviewed academic journal covering theoretical and applied linguistics. It is published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Ca ...

'', however, found it was "riddled with elementary errors" and "shoddy citation practices". The details of her analysis are publicly available in the ''Twitter'' thread review she posted on her account in August 2018, on which the journal review was based. In 2017, ''The Semiotics of Emoji'' was one of four books shortlisted for the annual

British Association for Applied Linguistics The 'British Association for Applied Linguistics'' (BAAL) is a learned society, based in the UK, which provides a forum for people interested in language and applied linguistics. BAAL organises regular meetings of its members at various venues in ...

Book Prize. Danesi's work has been featured in a range of mainstream publications such as ''The New York Times'', ''The Guardian'' and ''The Globe and Mail''.
-

Bibliography

Selected publications: * 1993 ''Vico, Metaphor, and the Origin of Language'', Indiana University Press * 2004 ''Messages, Signs, and Meanings: A Basic Textbook in Semiotics and Communication'', 3rd ed. Toronto: Canadian Scholars Press * 2007 ''The Quest for Meaning: A Guide to Semiotic Theory and Practice'', Toronto: University of Toronto Press * 2008 ''Why It Sells: Decoding the Meanings of Brand Names, Logos, Ads, and Other Marketing and Advertising Ploys'', Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield * 2013 ''Signs of Crime: Introduction to Forensic Semiotics'', Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter * 2013 ''The History of the Kiss: The Birth of Popular Culture'', New York: Palgrave-Macmillan * 2013 ''Discovery in Mathematics: An Interdisciplinary Approach'', Munich: Lincom Europa * 2013 (with Antonio Nicaso) ''Made Men: Mafia Culture and the Power of Symbols and Ritual'', Rowman & Littlefield * 2013 ''Encyclopedia of Media and Communication'', University of Toronto Press * 2015 ''Popular Culture: Introductory Perspectives'', 3rd ed. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield. Pp. xi, 330 * 2016 ''The Semiotics of Emoji: The Rise of Visual Language in the Age of the Internet'', Bloomsbury Academic * 2020 "Pi (π)" in ''Nature, Art, and Culture'', Brill

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Danesi, Marcel Italian semioticians Sapienza University of Rome faculty University of Toronto faculty Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore faculty University of Lugano faculty 1946 births Living people Communication theorists Place of birth missing (living people) Presidents of the Semiotic Society of America