The synergy of Peirce and Vygotsky as an analytical approach to the multimodality of semiotic mediation

The ontological resonance between Peirce and Vygotsky is an area of increasing interest within cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT), arguably deserving of considered scrutiny and elucidation. Premised on conceptual pluralism and variance within sociolinguistic and sociocultural perspectives on semiotic mediation, this article proposes the synergy of Peirce and Vygotsky as an analytical approach to the multimodality of semiotic mediation. Following a discussion of its theoretical basis, the logical fusion of deduction and abduction is designated to authorise this synergy. Through the interplay of words and images exhibited in mother-child collaboration in the reading of a picturebook, the article demonstrates how this synergy can afford a profound semiotic account of meaning making, interspersed with insights from the notion of “intersemiotic complementarity” (Royce, 2007). Exploratory as it is, this article seeks to inform current debates on the methodological relevance of Peircean semiotics for CHAT, by bringing the confluence of Peirce and Vygotsky to bear on the study of communication and representation.