The "Iceberg Text" at the Boundaries of Linguistics, Pragmatics, and Semiotics

Focusing on the theoretical status of the text, this study proposes a personal perspective synthesized in and symbolized by the metaphor 'the iceberg text'. Some basic ideas are tackled, suggesting that: (1) the text research as a concept is not only possible, but also necessary; (2) the content of the concept must be extended in order to capture both the fundamental constituent (immanent) aspects of the textual product, and the creative-perceptive aspects specific to the process of decoding and interpreting the textual sense; (3) as a dynamic and creative process, the latter having a reticular character (determined by the random articulation of the set of networks, that is sign structures that are homogeneous from a relational and functional point of view), inferential character, volume character and synergic character; (4) the configuration of an appropriate theoretical frame can be achieved through the collaboration of Linguistics (E. Coseriu), Pragmatics (M. Bahtin) and Semiotics (Ch. S. Peirce). Adapted from the source document