Sign: Encyclopedia - Sign

Sign

Sign can denote any of the following:

• In astrology sign is often used to mean the Sun sign.
• In communication sign or signing refers to communicating via hand gestures, such as sign language.
• In computing, the digits where one bit among them tells the number is either negative or non-negative are called signed, otherwise unsigned. See also: Signedness
• In divination a sign is an omen, an event or occurrence believed to fortell the future.
• In linguistics, Ferdinand de Saussure described a Sign (linguistics) as a combination of a concept and a sound-image.
• In mathematics, the sign of a number refers to whether it is negative or positive.
• In biology a sign is an indication of some living thing's presence.
• In medicine, a medical sign is objective evidence of the presence of a disease or disorder, as opposed to a symptom, which is subjective.
• In semiotics, sign (semiotics) are the basic units of meaning.
• Information signs are notices that instruct, advise, inform or warn people.
• On (the side of or above) roads there are traffic signs to instruct drivers. In most parts of the world these include stop signs, speed limit signs, cross walk signs, and others.
• Within a writing system, a sign is a basic unit. Similar terms which are more specific are character, letter or grapheme.
• Commercial signage, including flashing signs, such as on a retail store, factory, or theatre.
• To write one's signature on a document, thus showing authorship and will.

See also

• Alchemy
• Roland Barthes
• Divination
• Mary Douglas
• Icon
• Interpretation of dreams
• Edmund Leach
• Claude Levi-Strauss
• List of symbols
• Logotype
• map-territory relation
• National symbol
• Charles Peirce
• Religious symbolism
• Representation
• Ferdinand de Saussure
• Semiotics
• Signing
• Structuralism
• Symbol

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Sign", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki