Abstract

Peirce's ten trichotomies are presented as an elaboration of semeiosis, that is, a sign producing an interpretant. This elaboration details how a sign can produce a metaphor, a hypothesis or a decision.

After describing the ten trichotomies, the essay shows through detailed illustrations how the ten trichotomies enable us to understand the nuances of the sign's addressing tension within the experienced object. Depending on whether the experience is of the unfamiliar, the unexpected or the unacceptable (choice), the resultant interpretants are shown to vary as metaphor, hypothesis or decision.