Slide 33: Scene II: Socio-Semiotic Instantiation: From Potential To Instance

If we switch now to considering the actualisation of socio-semiotic potential, the relevant theoretical notion again is the vector of ‘instantiation’. We can begin to represent a cline of social instantiation along these lines …

Slide 34: Cline Of Socio-Semiotic Instantiation (Excluding Projection)

Since we have construed socio-semiotic potential as networks of sensing and saying, a socio-semiotic instance is the selective activation of features in these systems — ‘an instantial pattern over the potential’ as Halliday & Matthiessen (1999: 45) put it for linguistic systems.  But, when we include the projection of linguistic content …

Slide 35: Cline Of Socio-Semiotic Instantiation (Including Projection)

… the socio-semiotic instance also includes the selective activation of features in the systems of the content plane of language: specifically, the system of meaning (i.e. semantics) in the case of sensing, or

the system of wording (i.e. lexicogrammar) in the case of saying.

And just as before, it is a feature of instantiation that each socio-semiotic instance minutely perturbs the probabilities of the socio-semiotic potential — socio-semiotic instantial frequencies shape the socio-semiotic systemic probabilities.

Slide 36: Scene III: Individuated Socio-Semiotic Instantiation

We are now in a position to begin mapping the socio-semiotic, as a cline of instantiation, onto the biological individual: the organism.

Slide 37: Socio-Semogenic Processes: The Three Socio-Semiotic Histories Related

This involves relating the instantiation of socio-semiotic potential to the development of socio-semiotic potential in the individual.  Here we see Halliday & Matthiessen’s (1999: 18) three related histories of semogenic processes — phylogenesis, ontogenesis and logogenesis —adapted to what might be called ‘socio-semogenic processes’.

On this model, the unfolding instantiation of socio-semiotic potential in the situation provides material for the development of socio-semiotic potential in the biological individual, which provides material for the evolution of socio-semiotic potential in the species.

And, contrariwise, the evolution of socio-semiotic potential in the species provides the environment for the development of socio-semiotic potential in the biological individual, which provides the environment for the unfolding instantiation of socio-semiotic potential in the situation.

So, to be more specific: the various instances of socio-semiotic potential, sensing and saying that a biological individual participates in — including the content of what is sensed or said — provide material for the development of socio-semiotic potential that is specific to that individual: an individuated socio-semiotic potential.  It follows, then, that for every biological individual, there is an individuated cline of socio-semiotic instantiation …

Slide 38: Individuated Socio-Semiotic Instantiation

On this model, a meaner is individuated socio-semiotic potential, and consciousness is an individuated socio-semiotic instance.  So we can conceive of a socio-semiotic individual as a cline of socio-semiotic instantiation…

Slide 39: Socio-Semiotic Individual As Cline Of Instantiation

…where consciousness is an instantiation of a meaner.

And we can say, given the nature of instantiation, that in the development of the meaner, each consciousness minutely perturbs the probabilities of the meaner — that consciousness frequencies shape the meaner probabilities.

That is, this is a model of how meaners, as individuated socio-semiotic potential, are altered by the types of socio-semiotic processes in which they participate.

So, we’ve now provided one way to map the socio-semiotic dimension of humanity onto the biological; but so far we have only considered the rôle of projection from an ideational perspective.