Markers of Identity and Grounded Infosigns
Some ways that identity of the referents of two signs may be marked is by recurrence of the same sign design (“duplicates markers”), by use of the same sign token over again (“Strawson markers”), and by various anaphorical relations (anaphors). Strawson markers, of which “mental files” are an example, are of particular interest, their occurrence or use very significantly reducing the number of separate signs needed to represent complex states of affairs, hence, the number of inferences that must be drawn to extract the consequences of a set of premises. What a sign gives information about, however, is sometimes shown not just in elements of its sign design but in an external relation of the sign to its signified. Thus, a volt meter shows the voltage between the terminals to which its leads are connected.