The triangle of reference (also known as the triangle of meaning and the

semiotic Semiotics ( ) is the systematic study of semiosis, sign processes and the communication of Meaning (semiotics), meaning. In semiotics, a Sign (semiotics), sign is defined as anything that communicates intentional and unintentional meaning or feel ...

triangle) is a model of how linguistic symbols relate to the objects they represent. The triangle was published in ''

The Meaning of Meaning ''The Meaning of Meaning: A Study of the Influence of Language upon Thought and of the Science of Symbolism'' (1923) is a book by C. K. Ogden and I. A. Richards. It is accompanied by two supplementary essays by Bronisław Malinowski and F. G ...

'' (1923) by

Charles Kay Ogden Charles Kay Ogden (; 1 June 1889 – 20 March 1957) was a British linguist, philosopher, and writer. Described as a polymath but also an Eccentricity (behavior), eccentric and Emic and etic, outsider, he took part in many ventures related to lit ...

and

I. A. Richards Ivor Armstrong Richards CH (26 February 1893 – 7 September 1979), known as I. A. Richards, was an English educator, literary critic, poet, and rhetorician. His work contributed to the foundations of New Criticism, a formalist movement in ...

. C. K. Ogden and

(1923) ''

'' While often referred to as the "Ogden/Richards triangle", the idea was also expressed in 1810 by

Bernard Bolzano Bernard Bolzano (, ; ; ; born Bernardus Placidus Johann Nepomuk Bolzano; 5 October 1781 – 18 December 1848) was a Bohemian mathematician, logician, philosopher, theologian and Catholic priest of Italian extraction, also known for his liberal ...

, in his ''Beiträge zu einer begründeteren Darstellung der Mathematik''. The triangle can be traced back to 4th century BC, in

Aristotle Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...

's '' Peri Hermeneias''. The Triangle relates to the

problem of universals The problem of universals is an ancient question from metaphysics that has inspired a range of philosophical topics and disputes: "Should the properties an object has in common with other objects, such as color and shape, be considered to exist ...

, a philosophical debate which split ancient and medieval philosophers, especially realists and

nominalists In metaphysics, nominalism is the view that universals and abstract objects do not actually exist other than being merely names or labels. There are two main versions of nominalism. One denies the existence of universals—that which can be inst ...

. The triangle describes a simplified form of relationship between the speaker as the ''subject'', a concept as an ''object'' or ''referent'', and its designation (''sign'', signans).

References

External links

* Jessica Erickstad (1998
''Richards' Meaning of Meaning Theory''
University of Colorado at Boulder. * Allie Cahill (1998

University of Colorado at Boulder. Semantics Pragmatics Philosophy of language Concepts in the philosophy of mind {{semantics-stub philo-stub

See also

References

External links