Cultural Code in the Semiosphere

Abstract

This article examines the structure of the semiosphere as a cultural space, tracing the connection between V.I. Vernadsky’s concept of the biosphere and Yu.M. Lotman’s semiosphere. It concludes that the key components of the semiosphere bear more similarities to the biological model of an ecosystem or I.Wallerstein’s social model of the world-system than to the concept of the biosphere.

The article develops a thesis on the key cultural role of the boundaries of cultural space, suggesting that the structure of the cultural process can be compared to the linguistic process as interpreted by F. de Saussure. Cultural space develops in opposition to the surrounding world or another culture, forming a corresponding system of cultural markers and identifiers that enable cultural self-definition.

The structure of the semiosphere is characterized as heterogeneous and highly segmented by subcultures of various communities. The nature of the connection between the various components of the semiosphere is determined, suggesting the key role of the cultural code in the process of its segmentation. Various approaches to understanding cultural code are discussed, including structuralist and poststructuralist interpretations. J. Kristeva’s concept of three dimensions of text, which harks back to the works of M.M. Bakhtin, is examined. A correlation between cultural code and the modal dimension of sign space is suggested.