The American school of semiotic, founded by Peirce and Morris, has become of increasing interest recently to analytic philosophers. In this study, Clarke traces the historical background of this school from its classical and medieval origins to the contributions of Arnauld and Reid, and its subsequent development. Answering the chief recent objections to semiotic, Clarke incorporates the views of Austin, Strawson, Grice, Bennett and Lewis, arguing eloquently that the central principles of semiotic should play a major role in contemporary philosophy. This book examines the interpretation and use of signs at different levels of complexity -- from natural signs as environmental events and signals as primitive forms of communication to sentences and the more specialized forms of discourse. -- Back cover (abridged).