The three divisions of signs identified by Charles Pierce are :

A. Modular

B. Prescriptive

C. Iconic

D. Indexical

E. Symbolic

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Key Points

Charles Pierce, a renowned American philosopher and logician, developed a theory of semiotics, the study of signs and symbols, which is widely used in various fields like linguistics, anthropology, psychology, and communication studies.

Important Points

Pierce classified signs into three categories, based on the nature of their relationship with their referent, which are:

1. Iconic Signs:

• Iconic signs are those signs that resemble their referent, either physically or by convention.
• For example, a portrait of a person or a diagram of a machine is an iconic sign.
• These signs rely on resemblance, and the viewer recognizes the referent by relating the sign to a visual or mental image of the referent.
• In other words, the sign is a likeness of its referent.

2. Indexical Signs:

• Indexical signs are those signs that indicate a relationship or association with their referent, rather than resembling them.
• These signs have a direct and causal relationship with their referent.
• For example, smoke is an indexical sign of fire, and a pointing finger is an indexical sign of the object being pointed at.
• The viewer recognizes the referent by relating the sign to the context of the situation.

3. Symbolic Signs:

• Symbolic signs are those signs that have an arbitrary or conventional relationship with their referent.
• These signs have no inherent resemblance or relationship with their referent.
• For example, words, numbers, and traffic signals are symbolic signs.
• The viewer recognizes the referent by understanding the social and cultural conventions that assign meaning to the sign.

In conclusion, Pierce's classification of signs into iconic, indexical, and symbolic categories is significant because it allows us to understand how signs work in communication and how meanings are conveyed through signs.