Misunderstanding Semiosis As Somasis

Ngo, Hood, Martin, Painter, Smith & Zappavigna (2022: 124):

Our focus is on the semiosis of facial expression realising emotion in human interaction, but it is important to note that the face can also manifest non-emotional (somatic) states. A frown, for example, might manifest concentrated thinking (Fasel and Luettin, 2003: 260) or physiological states of pain or fatigue (see Chapter 1). Instances of somatic facial expression can of course index purposeful feelings, which remains a challenge for analysts as discussed in Chapter 1. The approach taken in this book is that behaviours can be treated as paralinguistic (i.e. semiotic) depending on whether or not they are negotiated as meaningful in interaction.

Blogger Comments:

This is a very serious misunderstanding. If a facial configuration means ('manifests', indexes') something other than itself, then it is the signifier of a signified, and so semiotic, not "somatic". At the social level, in terms of Halliday's linear taxonomy of complex systems, some facial configurations select a positive value (e.g. 'approach') in the other, whereas some select a negative value (e.g. 'avoid').