The concept of semantic isotopy was introduced by Greimas in his 1966 Semantique structurale. There, it seems to be conceived primarily as a mechanism of textual coherence: the semantic continuity of a text is created by the iteration of semic elements, forming isotopies.In the first Dictionnaire of 1979, the isotopy is given two apparently separate roles. Its definition as an axis linking two opposites from the same semantic field implies that the terms of a semiotic square are isotopic. At the same time, isotopies are seen as the essential mechanism for the creation of figurativity, the verbal elaboration of descriptive details that produces the "reality effect". It is clear in the Dictionnaire that these two roles must be connected: there must be a generative path from the fundamental semantics of the semiotic square to discursive figurativisation, a path which involves how figurative isotopies are related to more abstract thematic isotopies.The Dictionnaire also points out that it is possible to extend the concept of isotopy from the level of content to the level of expression, and that it should be applicable to non-verbal semiotic domains, such as painting, photography and cinema.The isotopy has thus been with us for nearly 60 years. However, while not exactly neglected, it has not received the kind of attention given to, for example, narrative syntax. I feel that the concept has more to offer as an analytical tool, and that it can be applied in new ways with interesting results.