Considerations about pragmatic semiotics: counterpoints with linguistic theorizing

Abstract

In this article, we intend to discuss the principles of pragmatic semiotics and, by doing so, we wish to make a connection with this theory and the pragmatic apparatus considered by linguistics, specially the area of linguistics which guide the theoretical fields covered by enunciation. We reflect about the pragmatic nature of Peirce’s semiotics, confronting it with pragmatic principles presented in some linguistic theories. We detached the main aspect of Peirce’s theory – the triadic nature of the semiotic sign – in order to identify which is the scope of the term “pragmatic” in such view. Furthermore, we show how this theory supports the study of different semiotic modes, considering Santaella’s work (2005) about the matrixes of thought and language. Finally, we point the fundamental differences between linguistics and semioitics, concerning the pragmatic approach, and we in relation to the treatment proposed by semiotics. By assuming that the complex nature of the scientific object of the “linguists of usages” – the meanings – asks for an interdisciplinary approach, we defend, that getting information about how other theoretical fields deal with processes of building meaning through a pragmatic scope is necessary to improve the instruments and methods of linguistic investigation.