Triangle or tripod? Neither: A diagrammatic investigation into a sign’s visual representation

Abstract

This paper takes a look at the morphological structure of the two dominant diagrams (the triangle and the tripod) used in semiotic literature to represent the irreducible triadic sign of C. S. Peirce in order to evaluate their diagrammatic aptitude, i.e. allowing of deductive discoveries. Concluding that neither fully translates the properties attributed to the irreducible triadic sign on a visual level, an alternative diagram is proposed. This is a visual representation of the irreducible triadic sign that is directly connected with other fields of research, such as mathematics, but also with the work of Floyd Merrell and Paul Ryan and, most importantly, has the ability to bring both the pattern of a sign and the process of semiosis into one easily drawn diagram, the triquetra.