If languages are ontologies — structured potentials for construal — then narratives are not simply stories.
In short, storytelling is the actualisation of possibility. And the ways stories unfold are shaped by the semiotic architecture of the language itself.
This post introduces the idea and frames it through a familiar guide: Liora, whose small adventures through extraordinary landscapes provide a lens on how semiotic ecologies operate.
1. Narrative as Semiotic Actualisation
In relational-ontological terms, each clause in a narrative is an instance of construal. The system (language) offers potential structures; the narrative selects, sequences, and coordinates these potentials.
For Liora, walking through the dew-bright forest is more than an event in a story. It is a phenomenon brought into being through the choices of the narrative:
Liora paused beside the pool. The dew shimmered. In one frame, the pool was just water; in another, it began to hum with possibility. Her attention carved the world into phenomena.
Every descriptive choice — what is foregrounded, what remains in the horizon, how perspective is aligned — reflects the semiotic ecology of the language.
2. Construal in Narrative
Some languages emphasise events, making actions the driving force of stories. Others emphasise participants, making the character network central.
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In an event-driven construal, the pool itself might be the locus of the narrative: “The pool began to tremble as light gathered on its surface.”
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In a participant-driven construal, Liora’s movement, gaze, or attentional focus might dominate: “Liora leaned closer, sensing the shimmer.”
Both are valid; both actualise different semiotic ecologies.
3. Relationality in Narrative
Relational axes — classification, possession, identification — shape how story elements connect.
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The pool could be “just a pool,” or a “mirror of possibility,” or “the forest’s secret eye.”
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The creature hovering above it might be relationally marked in terms of interaction potential with Liora, rather than merely as a character.
Relational marking is not optional: it structures the intelligibility of the narrative. A semiotic ecology where relations are foregrounded will produce different story effects than one where events dominate.
4. Perspective in Narrative
Perspective regulates access, knowledge, and stance: from which horizon phenomena are perceived, and how much epistemic or experiential information is available.
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Liora might notice the pool first, then the creature, while the reader is aligned with her perspective.
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A narrative anchored elsewhere — the creature’s perspective, or an omniscient observer — changes what phenomena are salient and how tension is generated.
Perspective is built into the narrative ecology, not added later. It guides attention, expectation, and narrative alignment.
5. Orientation in Narrative
Orientation stabilises the narrative horizon: spatially, socially, or discursively.
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Spatial orientation: where the pool is in relation to Liora, the forest, the sunlight.
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Social orientation: the creature’s relation to Liora or the forest’s lore.
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Discursive orientation: how the narrative sequences events and maintains coherence across clauses.
Without orientation, phenomena float; with orientation, they become intelligible, grounded, and narratively compelling.
6. Liora as Lens
Liora’s small acts — pausing, observing, leaning — illustrate the four axes in action:
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Construal: which events and participants are foregrounded
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Relationality: how entities are linked, classified, or possessed
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Perspective: whose viewpoint guides attention
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Orientation: what horizon stabilises the meaning
Through her, we see narrative as an ecology, not just a sequence of sentences.
Next Post
We will dive deeper into Construal in Narrative, showing how eventhood, states, and participant salience shape storytelling across languages.
Liora will be our constant guide, letting us observe the semiotic ecology in action and making typological differences tangible without invoking determinism.
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