Text Technology: Signs
Case Studies: Japanese tsunami markers and the biohazard sign
Ancient Signs
Ancient stone monuments, like Figure 1, are dotted on the northeast coast of Japan, warning of the need to pay attention of tsunamis when building homes and settlements. This one is three feet high and reads in translation: “A house on high ground will lead to peace and happiness for posterity. Remember the calamity of the great tsunami. Never build houses from this point down… No matter how many years pass, keep vigilance high.”
~ Dr. Elaine Treharne
Ancient stone monuments, like Figure 1, are dotted on the northeast coast of Japan, warning of the need to pay attention of tsunamis when building homes and settlements. This one is three feet high and reads in translation: “A house on high ground will lead to peace and happiness for posterity. Remember the calamity of the great tsunami. Never build houses from this point down… No matter how many years pass, keep vigilance high.”
~ Dr. Elaine Treharne
Contemporary Signs
Signs, like those in Figure 2 and 3, are an everyday part of life to the point where we don’t consciously realize what we’re seeing. From the billboard alongside the interstate, to the STOP sign at a junction, to the warning sign on a truck, or hazard signs in buildings, these forms of public writing are ubiquitous. ~Dr. Elaine Treharne
Signs, like those in Figure 2 and 3, are an everyday part of life to the point where we don’t consciously realize what we’re seeing. From the billboard alongside the interstate, to the STOP sign at a junction, to the warning sign on a truck, or hazard signs in buildings, these forms of public writing are ubiquitous. ~Dr. Elaine Treharne
Bibliography
- “Ancient Stone Markers Warned of Tsunamis.” CBS News 6 Apr. 2011. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CDMQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2F2100-202_162-20051370.html&ei=tQ0ZUdXoLoH68QSNoIH4BA&usg=AFQjCNGxGp1B4cF11VvlhbCrxLFc4_S5sA&bvm=bv.42080656,d.eWU. Web.
- Cook, John. “Symbol Making.” The New York Times 18 Nov. 2001. http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/18/magazine/18PROCESS.html. Web.
- Fackler, Martin. “Ancestral markers warned Japanes of tsunamis.” The New York Times. 21 Apr. 2011. http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20110421/WIRE/110429909. Web.
- Hermer, Joe and Hunt, Alan. “Official Graffiti of the Everyday.” Law and Society Review, 30.3 (1996): 433-480. Print. (available on Blackboard)
Research Questions
1. What similarities do you note concerning the materiality, functionality, and intentionality of monumental texts like the Behistun or Arch of Constantine, etc., and both ancient and modern signs?
2. What differences do you note?
3. What kinds of public signs are there today? List 10.
4. What functions do signs, as a form of public writing, serve that graffiti and monuments do not? List five.
5. What do Hermer and Hunt mean by “official graffiti”? Do you agree with this term, why or why not?
6. Considering monuments, graffiti, and signs, can you identify five significant characteristics of all types of public writing?
- The ancient texts are usually inscribed in some sort of stone or tablet, obviously with the intent of permanence and making it unchangeable. The Tsunami warning stone explicitly states, “No matter how many years pass” meaning that the authors of this text knew or at least hoped that it would last a long time. Modern signs are also affixed on metal poles or constructed of the same material, for permanence not like the ancients but we don’t want our signs to collapse either.
2. What differences do you note?
- Our signs are more colorful, eye grabbing material. They are also made out of metal as opposed to stone. Our signs are also easily moveable and interchangeable, for functionality reasons.
3. What kinds of public signs are there today? List 10.
- Stop signs
- Biohazard sign
- Do not litter signs
- No shirt, no shoes sign
- Neighborhood watch
- No smoking
- Speed limits
- Bathroom signs
- Directions, Entrance/Exit
- Quiet in the library
4. What functions do signs, as a form of public writing, serve that graffiti and monuments do not? List five.
- Signs inform
- There is a purpose
- There is an intended audience
- They do not need words
- Universally understood symbols
5. What do Hermer and Hunt mean by “official graffiti”? Do you agree with this term, why or why not?
- Official graffiti is any prohibitory sign or sign that dictates space or action in the public sphere. I do not agree with their definition, because they include things that we do not think of as graffiti, such as a speed limit sign. Just because they explain the reasons behind their thinking, doesn’t make their thoughts valid.
6. Considering monuments, graffiti, and signs, can you identify five significant characteristics of all types of public writing?
- Intentionality
- Materiality
- Functionality
- Authority
- Authenticity