SEMIOTICS, MODELS AND COMPUTING
Bertil Ekdahl · 2008
Recently, semiotics has begun to be related to computing. Since semiotics is about the interpretation of signs, of which language is a chief part, such an interest may seem quite reasonable. The semiotic approach is supposed to bring semantics to the computer. In this paper I discuss the realistic in this from the point of view of computers as linguistic systems, that is, as interpreters of descriptions (programs). I maintain the holistic view of language in which the parts are a whole and cannot be detached. This has the implication that computers cannot be semiotic systems since the necessary interpretation part cannot be made part of the program. From outside, a computer program can very well be considered semiotically since the equivalence between computers and formal system implies that there is a well defined model (interpretation) that has to be communicated. (Less)