#39,5

Today, during sick leave, I have had half an article writing day, with work done related to a Spanish translation of my article "The biosemiotic glossary project: Agent, agency". So far this Spring I have had 39,5 writing days, including 7 article writing days.

Google Scholar: 800 citations; i10-index 30

According to Google Scholar (cf. my profile), my research has by now attracted 800 citations (+21 since August 18th). This includes 88 citations registered in 2022 to date (+19 since August 18th). My h-index is 16 (unchanged) and my i10-index 30 (+1 since August 18th). 2022 is now my third best year, after 2021 (182 citations) and 2016 (91 citations).

My three most cited texts to date have been cited 60, 50 and 40 times respectively.

Biosemiotics 10(3) published, completing 10th volume

Biosemiotics volume 10, issue 3 has appeared. This issue includes an editorial co-edited by Timo Maran, Alexei Sharov and myself, "The first decade of Biosemiotics", and the fourth review article in the Biosemiotic Glossary Project, on the term "intentionality", by Don Favareau and Arran Gare.

Fourth biosemiotic glossary article on "semiotic threshold" - survey now online

The forth survey in the biosemiotic glossary project has just been released online, via Google Forms/Google Docs - here. The key term for the fourth survey is "semiotic threshold". The fourth review article in the project is being written and researched by Kalevi Kull and Claudio J. Rodríguez H.

Full reference for Umwelt review article

Here is the full reference for our review article on the term "Umwelt", published this Spring:

Tønnessen, Morten, Riin Magnus and Carlo Brentari 2016. The Biosemiotic Glossary Project: Umwelt. Biosemiotics 9(1): 129–149. Published online March 15th 2016 (doi: DOI 10.1007/s12304-016-9255-6), with Appendix (Supplementary Material available online).

Reference for Umwelt review article

Here is the final, complete reference for our review article on the term Umwelt, with page numbers:

Tønnessen, Morten, Riin Magnus and Carlo Brentari 2016. The Biosemiotic Glossary Project: Umwelt. Biosemiotics 9(1): 129–149. Published online March 15th 2016 (doi: DOI 10.1007/s12304-016-9255-6), with Appendix (Supplementary Material available online).

Third Biosemiotic Glossary Project survey: "Intentionality"

The third survey in the Biosemiotic Glossary Project is now open. Don Favareau is the assigned author of the third review article, to be published in Biosemiotics, and the term surveyed is "intentionality".

Responses are given online, in two parts, here and here - by early July.

"The biosemiotic glossary project: Umwelt" published online

Our review article "The biosemiotic glossary project: Umwelt", which is 21 pp. plus a 6 pp Appendix, has been published online. Reference:

Tønnessen, Morten; Carlo Brentari and Riin Magnus. The Biosemiotic Glossary Project: Umwelt. Published online March 15th 2016 (doi: DOI 10.1007/s12304-016-9255-6), with Appendix (Supplementary Material available online).

It will appear in print very soon, in Biosemiotics 9(1), April 2016.

Proof queries for Umwelt review article

Today I have responded to 17 proof queries to our article "The biosemiotic glossary project: Umwelt", to appear in Biosemiotics.

Umwelt review article accepted for publication

I have just been informed that the article "The biosemiotic glossary project: Umwelt", which I have co-written with Riin Magnus and Carlo Brentari, has been accepted for publication in Biosemiotics. The review article will appear in #1/2016 (April).

Umwelt review article - second revision

Last Friday I revised the review article "The biosemiotic glossary project: Umwelt", which I have co-written with Riin Magnus and Carlo Brentari, for the second time. Mostly reformatting of references etc.

Umwelt review article revised

Some days ago I finished revising the review article "The biosemiotic glossary project: Umwelt", along with Riin Magnus and Carlo Brentari. Particularly, discussion of methodology was added.

Umwelt review article submitted

Today I have submitted "The biosemiotic glossary project: Umwelt" to Biosemiotics, on behalf of Riin Magnus, Carlo Brentari and myself, after we finished editing/revising it.

Umwelt review article finished

On Monday this week I finished a full draft of the review article "The Biosemiotic Glossary Project: Umwelt", which I am co-writing with Carlo Brentari and Riin Magnus. It is now being checked by my co-authors before we submit.

Springer PR campaign for Biosemiotics - "Introducing new editorial team"

On August 28th, Springer conducted a PR campaign (by email) for the academic journal Biosemiotics, for which I am one of three Editors-in-Chief, with subject line "Introducing new editorial team" (i.e. the 2013-2018 team).

Full reference for agency review

Here´s the reference for my agency review article:

Morten Tønnessen 2015. The Biosemiotic Glossary Project: Agent, agency. Biosemiotics 8(1): 125-143. Published online January 21st 2015 (doi: 10.1007/s12304-015-9229-0), with Appendix (Supplementary Material available online).

Abstract for NASS IX: "Agency in biosemiotics and enactivism"

I have just composed and submitted the abstract below to the organisers of the 9th conference of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies (NASS) (Tartu, August 17-20).

***

Agency in biosemiotics and enactivism

By Morten Tønnessen, University of Stavanger

Paper proposal submitted to the theme session “Cognitive semiotics meets biosemiotics / Biosemiotics meets cognitive semiotics”

ABSTRACT

While several fields has a pragmatic interest in the notion of agency qua causal, biosemiotics has an ontological interest in the occurrence of agency in the living realm at large. Although there is currently no consensus in the biosemiotic community on what constitutes a semiotic agent, i.e. an agent in the context of semiosis (the action of signs), most respondents to a recent survey agree that core attributes of an agent include goal-directedness, self-governed activity, processing of semiosis and choice of action, with these features being vital for the functioning of the living system in question. 

In this chapter I seek to compare the biosemiotic understanding(s) of agency with enactive understanding(s) of agency. Despite considerable overlapping in views and outlook, there are sharp differences in how agency is understood in biosemiotics and enactivism. For example, while biosemioticians typically acknowledge agency in all living systems, whether large or small, enactivists tend for the most part to refer to individual agency, and often with stricter qualifications than biosemiotics makes use of. Gallagher´s emphasis on some organisms´ “sense of agency” exemplifies enactivism´s tendency to focus on conscious animals, and to prioritise theorizing about self-awareness rather than awareness or experience in a broader sense.

Acknowledgements: This work has been carried out thanks to the support of the research project Animals in Changing Environments: Cultural Mediation and Semiotic Analysis (EEA Norway Grants/Norway Financial Mechanism 2009–2014 under project contract no EMP151). Parts of this text have previously been published in Biosemiotics (Tønnessen, Morten 2015. The Biosemiotic Glossary Project: Agent, agency. To appear in Biosemiotics 8(1); published online January 21st 2015 (doi: 10.1007/s12304-015-9229-0), with Appendix – Supplementary Material – available online).

"The Biosemiotic Glossary Project: Agent, agency" published online; reference

My review article "The Biosemiotic Glossary Project: Agent, agency", the first in the Biosemiotic Glossary Project, was published online in Biosemiotics on January 21st. 

Reference:

Tønnessen, Morten (2015). The Biosemiotic Glossary Project: Agent, agency. Biosemiotics 8(1). Published online January 21st 2015 (doi: 10.1007/s12304-015-9229-0), with Appendix (Supplementary Material available online).

"The biosemiotic glossary project: Agent, agency" accepted for publication

My review article "The biosemiotic glossary project: Agent, agency" has some days ago been accepted for publication in Biosemiotics. It will appear in print in Biosemiotics 8(1), due in April.

"What is animal agency?" accepted for oral presentation at MAC3, Delhi

I have just been informed by the MAC3 (Minding Animals Conference 3) 2015 Secretariat, that MAC3's Programme Committee has selected my abstract "What is animal agency?" for oral presentation. Minding Animals Conference 3 will be held in Delhi, India, January 13th-20th 2015, and is arranged by Minding Animals International and hosted by the Wildlife Trust of India in collaboration with Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).