
The challenge of designing interstellar messages capable of being understood by extraterrestrial intelligences (ETI) of unknown cognitive architectures represents one of the most profound problems in exosemiotics. Current approaches to messaging extraterrestrial intelligence (METI) typically assume either a monolithic message structure or simple layered progression. This paper introduces Adaptive Polysemic Messaging (APM), a unified theoretical framework that synthesizes three historically distinct communication paradigms: steganographic concealment, polysemic encoding, and stratified messaging. The APM framework enables the construction of messages that simultaneously: (1) contain multiple semantically coherent interpretations accessible at different cognitive levels, (2) reveal progressively deeper meanings as receiver sophistication increases, and (3) optimize interpretation fidelity for heterogeneous receiver populations from a single transmission. We provide formal mathematical definitions, axiomatize the framework's foundational principles, specify a complete protocol for APM message construction, and discuss implications for both active SETI initiatives and the broader field of xenolinguistics. The framework represents a novel contribution at the intersection of information theory, hermeneutics, and astrobiology.
METI, polysemy, Information theory, stratified messaging, xenocommunication, SETI, Linguistics, interstellar communication, Astrobiology, FOS: Languages and literature, steganography, exosemiotics, xenolinguistics, information theory
METI, polysemy, Information theory, stratified messaging, xenocommunication, SETI, Linguistics, interstellar communication, Astrobiology, FOS: Languages and literature, steganography, exosemiotics, xenolinguistics, information theory
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 0 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Average | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Average | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Average |
