SEMIOTIC AND COMMUNICATIVE STATUS OF PICTORIAL AND VERBAL TEXT (transformation, translation, coexistence)

Abstract

The article highlights the problem of inter-code relations and transformations of two different types of messages: verbal and pictorial. We presume that: first, both a picture and a verbal message are texts; second, they can share a common message either functioning by itself each, or citing each other, or translating each other; and third, a complete message can be a visual translation of a verbal message while a pictorial message can be verbally translated and incorporated into a verbal text only as a part of it. Narrative painting is treated as cases of visual translations, mainly of Biblical and mythological verbal texts. The opposite process of transforming a pictorial text into its verbal description is regarded on the material of museum catalogue articles and belles-lettres text with pictures as sources of plot development (such as J.Wilde’s “The Picture of Dorian Gray”). Coexistence of each of the discussed types of messages and their mutual impact upon the communicative result of polycode messages are analyzed on the material of illustrated texts, guide books, academic writing. The issue of addressee’s different activities in the abovementioned types of polycode messages is touched upon as well.

Keywords

• вербальне повідомлення
• піктографічне повідомлення
• полікодовий текст