Charles Morris' conception of semiotic: Implications for rhetorical criticism

Abstract

This study analyzes Charles Morris' claim that the traditional role of rhetoric falls within the province of pragmatics, where attempts are made to understand the relationship of sign to interpreter. It is argued that Morris' conception is incomplete, failing to recognize the role of syntax and semantics in appraising the meaning and force of a given rhetorical work. The article outlines the possible rhetorical stances implicit within each facet of semiotic, suggesting the importance of each to an understanding of an entire rhetorical act. My argument is not that the three categories of semiotic are identical or equivalent to three separate critical postures; rather, each type of rhetorical analysis proceeds and functions at a level analogous to its semiotic counterpart. To contemplate the meaning and force of a given rhetorical act is to be cognizant of the existence and interplay among the three dimensions of language‐syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.