Spaces of meaning are stratified to establish congruence among those belonging to the same semiotic "beams." Individuals may be geographically close yet unable to cooperate because they are not attuned to the same semiotic territory. Families of signs characterize each semiotic territory in which inhabitants are linked conceptually. Symbols and…

Two traditional principles have served as the basis for the involvement of linguists in social issues, namely the principle of error correction and the principle of debt incurred (Labov, 1982). It is argued that an additional principle should motivate linguists to take a more proactive role in social issues, the principle of linguistic gratuity.…