The interpretive science of semiotics offers powerful analytical tools for the application of many disciplines to the study of perception. "Semiotics" is the study of signs, and as such, is of relevance to a wide spectrum of scholars and professionals, including social scientists, psychologists, artists, graphic designers, and students of literature. "Semiosis" - the production and interpretation of linguistic and visual signs - is innate to human beings of all societies. From the simplest of hand gestures to the most complex diagrams and charts, the sign is key to the communication of ideas. Thomas A. Sebeok examines how the sign mediates between bodily experience and abstract thought.