A Description of the Arnold Semeiology
Collection
- Perhaps the most varied and individual collection in the
Special Collections of the Washington University Libraries, the
Philip Mills Arnold Semeiology Collection now numbers
approximately 1600 volumes, extending in time from the Ars
Oratoria of Jacopo Publicio (Augsburg, 1490) to Charles
Kasiel Bliss's International Semantography (Sydney,
1948-49), and ranging in subject matter from cryptography to the
sign language of the deaf. Dealing with the nature and
characteristics of communication, the collection emphasizes
material which appeared at early stages of the development of
interest in topics relevant to semeiology; later materials are
treated selectively.
- Semeiology, often referred to as semiotics, has been defined
by Charles Morris as "a theory of signs in all their forms and
manifestations, whether in animals or men, whether normal or
pathological, whether linguistic or nonlinguistic, whether
personal or social." It seeks to bring attention to the
non-verbal aspects of communication, and their relationships with
written and verbal expression. Signs, of course, might include
the punctuation of a printed page or the pauses of a speaker, the
notations used by a stenographer or the alphabet of a
writer.
- Perhaps one of the most recognizable signs is that of writing
itself. Viewed in the Arnold Collection primarily as a means for
conveying information, the semeiologist's concern is the
development of various types of writing as seen, for instance, in
the work of Bernard de Montfaucon or the alphabet books of the
Congregatio de Propaganda Fide. Writing may be transformed into a
means, or series of signs, for conveying secret messages by way
of cryptography. A particularly strong aspect of the Arnold
Collection, material in cryptography ranges from the earliest
work on the theory of cryptography by Johannes Trithemius to the
more practical essays of Francisco Martí and other modern
writers. As another form of writing, shorthand has common origins
with cryptography, hence the inclusion of Pierre Carpentier's
work on the decipherment of the Latin shorthand known as Tironian
notes, as well as the more practical La Plume Volante of
William Mason. Likewise, cryptographic methods have proved to be
an aid in unravelling the signs of unknown languages, as seen in
John Chadwick's The Decipherment of Linear B. Such efforts
not only increase our knowledge of written forms, but also extend
our understanding of the ways in which language functions and
communicates ideas.
- Language itself, viewed as the structured means of sharing
related concepts, affects and is affected by the signs it
employs. A strong aspect of the Arnold Collection, the language
area includes items on semantics, linguistics, and universal
grammar. Study of the common features of languages by such
writers as Antoine Court de Gébelin and Bishop John
Wilkins reveals the nature of the signs of language, such as
words and grammatical relationships. The use of language signs,
or symbols, as a means of communication, either written
(pasigraphy) or spoken (pasilaly), which overcomes the barriers
of diverse tongues is pointed to in the works of such writers as
Benajah Jay Antrim and Cave Beck.
- Not only does language affect the signs we use, but signs may
also be employed to stimulate or arouse concepts or words we
intend to instill in ourselves or communicate to others. Another
major portion of the Arnold Collection is devoted to this aspect
of semeiology. The development of mnemonics in the classical and
mediaeval periods of western civilization is a notable instance
of this. Ramón Lull, for example, demonstrates how signs
may be used to enable the mind to recall and combine in various
ways words and concepts previously learned. Cosmas Rossellius
writes of the use of a visual alphabet for clewing in one's
memory to select words. The works of Giovanni Pierio Valeriano
Bolzani and Henry Estienne illustrate the way in which signs, or
emblems, can be used to convey abstract concepts to others.
- Finally, the use of signs in non-verbal communication may
take the form of signaling of words or ideas. Such a sign may be
telegraphic, as seen in Claude Chappe's telegraph, whose purpose
was the sending of a message to a distant point by means of
visible signals. It may be a sign language for use by the deaf,
as developed by Charles Michel de L'Epée. The sign may be
tactual, as in the William Moon method of reading for the blind
by way of the hand moving over an embossed page.
- Several factors further enhance the significance of the
Philip Mills Arnold Semeiology Collection for Washington
University. It is complemented by the Isador Mendle Memorial
Collection on the History of Printing, also housed in Special
Collections. It provides material for several linguistics
programs in the university. Most important, it brings together
for scholarly use books and manuscripts, especially older titles,
frequently scattered in diverse libraries. Lee Thayer has said of
this subject that "a phenomenon as ubiquitous as communication, a
phenomenon which trascends so many traditional boundaries, is
destined to languish. Welcome everywhere as an issue, but
homeless, belonging to everyone but no one, an illegitimate
handmaiden of so many disciplines, communication languishes in
its own amorphousness." The Arnold Collection illustrates the
significance of semeiological studies, until recently a largely
untapped area. One of the increasing number of interdisciplinary
studies, semeiology is now coming into its own right.
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