#semiotics

• Actant — A structural concept developed in linguistics by L. Tesnière and extended into narratology by A.J. Greimas. In linguistics, it defines the being, object, or concept actively or passively participating in the process expressed by a verb (equivalent to verbal arguments). In literary theory and semiotics, it represents an abstract unit or a functional role within a narrative model (e.g., Subject, Object, Sender, Receiver, Helper, Opponent), regardless of whether it is embodied by a character, a group, or an inanimate object.
• Actantial — Pertaining to actants or their roles; relating to the functional structure of roles within a narrative or a syntactic framework. In literary theory and semiotics, the term describes the structural network of relationships among the agents of an action (the actantial model), highlighting how narrative forces interact to propel the plot, independent of the characters' psychological identities.
• Amphorophony — A pathological acoustic phenomenon observed during thoracic auscultation, characterized by an altered timbre of the voice or breath sounds, which acquire a distinct metallic resonance similar to speaking across the mouth of an empty jug. This structural anomaly indicates the presence of a large, aerated pulmonary cavity with rigid walls, or the existence of a pneumothorax.
• Antecleme — A specialized term used extremely rarely in certain structural linguistic theories, phonetic glosses, or semiotic analyses, designating a constituent element, a prior unit, or a formal component that precedes a basic semantic or phonetic unit (cleme / gleme). It represents a structural marker of prior positioning in sign segmentation.
• Arbitrariness of the linguistic sign — A fundamental principle of structural linguistics, formulated by Ferdinand de Saussure, stipulating that the bond between the signifier (the acoustic image or written form of a word) and the signified (its concept or meaning) is purely conventional and unmotivated. This means there is no intrinsic or necessary relationship between the sounds composing a term and the objective reality it denotes in nature.
• Asemantic — Devoid of meaning, significance, or conceptual content; not belonging to semantics and not transmitting linguistically encoded information. In the structural analysis of texts or computer codes, the term describes formal elements, graphic signs, or sound combinations that fulfill only a syntactic, aesthetic, or filler role, without referring to a reality referent.
• Self-description — A neologistic, rare, or literary variant for self-description; the formal act of specifying, framing, or describing one's own identity or structural parameters, performed based on a rigorous internal analytical analysis. It is primarily used when working with theoretical models of consciousness or in semiotics.