This volume contains the majority of the papers presented at the Fifth Annual Meeting of the Semiotic Society of America, held in Lubbock, Texas, October 16-19, 1980. The varied styles topics, methodologies, and intellectual traditions represented here reflect the current state of flux in semiotics--a healthy chaos, in which new ideas vie for survival and experiment is at a premium. Because of this variety, we have kept our editorial in terventions to a minimum. In addition, we have refrained from imposing any topical classification. While we could have used the panel titles as a taxonomic principle, this would not have produced a sufficiently even format. We have therefore uti lized the alphabetical order of authors' surnames as being os tensibly the least "loaded." These Proceedings represent a current view of the "semi otic scene," especially in the U.S.A. They also include some work representative of architectural semiotics from the U.K. We have tried to bring the volume to publication rapidly, since the immediacy of the contents would seem to be the pri mary asset of any such project. We would like to express the Society's collective grati tude to the 1980 Program Committee chaired by Richard Bauman (University of Texas-Austin), the Lubbock Local Arrangements Committee chaired by Nancy P. Hickerson (Texas Tech Universi ty), and our special thanks to Laurel Phipps of the School of Continuing Education at Texas Tech University.

This bibliography of semiotic studies covering the years 1975-1985 impressively reveals the world-wide intensification in the field. During this decade, national semiotic societies have been founded allover the world; a great number of international, national, and local semiotic conferences have taken place; the number of periodicals and book series devoted to semiotics has increased as has the number of books and dissertations in the field. This bibliography is the result of a dedicated effort to approach complete coverage.

Keir Elam showed how this new 'science' could provide a radical shift in our understanding of theatrical performance, one of our very richest and most complex forms of communication.

" . . . the greatest contribution to [semiotics] since the pioneering work of C. S. Peirce and Charles Morris." —Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism " . . . draws on philosophy, linguistics, sociology, anthropology and aesthetics and refers to a wide range of scholarship . . . raises many fascinating questions." —Language in Society " . . . a major contribution to the field of semiotic studies." —Robert Scholes, Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism " . . . the most significant text on the subject published in the English language that I know of." —Arthur Asa Berger, Journal of Communication Eco's treatment demonstrates his mastery of the field of semiotics. It focuses on the twin problems of the doctrine of signs—communication and signification—and offers a highly original theory of sign production, including a carefully wrought typology of signs and modes of production.

This volume differs from the volume, Semiotics 1980, in that it is no longer an experimental product, but the result of a permanent commitment of the Semiotic Society of America to publish each year henceforward those papers presented at its Annual Meeting which are submitted to the Secretariat in timely and proper form. Thus Semiotics 1981 marks the beginning, following upon the experimental Semiotics 1980 volume, of an indefinite series of volumes presenting the cross-fertilization of styles, topics, methodologies, and traditions "in which new ideas vie for survival and experiment is at a premium." It is this cross fertilization which is at the heart of the vitality and integration and redistribution of the world of knowledge. The historical value of such a record is obvious. But the more immediate objective of these volumes of annual proceedings is to promote participation in the work of "semioticizing" traditional perspectives and disciplines by providing a forum in which young scholars can meet regularly and find an outlet for their efforts at interdisciplinary thinking which are not always welcome in the journals and proceedings devoted to the promotion only of traditionally specialized perspectives.

History and Classics of Modern Semiotics -- Sign and Meaning -- Semiotics, Code, and the Semiotic Field -- Language and Language-Based Codes -- From Structuralism to Text Semiotics: Schools and Major Figures -- Text Semiotics: The Field -- Nonverbal Communication -- Aesthetics and Visual Communication.

This volume presents a broad range of topics and current frontline research by leading semioticians. The contributions are representative of the most cutting-edge work in semiotics, but project as well the developments in the near future of the field.