semiosis

/sɛmiˈoʊsɪs/
noun
  1. The process of creating and interpreting signs and symbols, especially in language and communication.
    • The study of semiosis helps explain how emojis convey emotions in text messages.
    • Children learn semiosis naturally when they realize a picture of a dog represents a real animal.
    • In everyday life, semiosis happens whenever we understand a traffic light's colors as signals.