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Structural Linguistics: Saussure'S Theory Key Concepts

Saussure's structural linguistics theory defines language as a system of interdependent linguistic signs. Each sign is composed of a signifier and signified, and signs derive their value from their relationships within the entire system. A sign's value comes from both its similarities to and differences from other signs. Linguistic value is defined negatively through contrast and opposition rather than positively from the sign's content. As a result, the value of one sign can change if neighboring signs change, even without affecting the sign's meaning or form. Translation relies on mapping signs between different linguistic systems while considering how value is defined differently in each language.

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276 views33 pages

Structural Linguistics: Saussure'S Theory Key Concepts

Saussure's structural linguistics theory defines language as a system of interdependent linguistic signs. Each sign is composed of a signifier and signified, and signs derive their value from their relationships within the entire system. A sign's value comes from both its similarities to and differences from other signs. Linguistic value is defined negatively through contrast and opposition rather than positively from the sign's content. As a result, the value of one sign can change if neighboring signs change, even without affecting the sign's meaning or form. Translation relies on mapping signs between different linguistic systems while considering how value is defined differently in each language.

Uploaded by

Mariana
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STRUCTURAL LINGUISTICS

SAUSSURE’S THEORY
KEY CONCEPTS
DEFINITION OF LINGUISTICS AS A
SCIENCE:

• A science with a method and a clearly defined


object of study
• The viewpoint creates the object
• Langue/Parole/Language
• Langue is a system of signs
THE LINGUISTIC SIGN
ARBITRARY = UNMOTIVATED
IMMUTABILITY OF THE LINGUISTIC SIGN

• “The signifier is fixed with respect to the language


community.”
• “The masses have no voice in the matter.”
• “The signifier chosen could be replaced by no other.”
• “The linguistic sign is immutable because it is
ARBITRARY.” (Really?)
• “The linguistic sign is immutable because it follows the
rule of tradition.”
• “No individual could modify in any way the choice made.”
• “Language is a law that is tolerated, not a rule to which we
freely consent.”
• “People are generally satisfied with the language they have
received.”
• Language = a heritage of the preceding period
• A particular language state is the product of
historical forces
• The principle of language change is based on the
principle of continuity.
BUT…
MUTABILITY OF THE LINGUISTIC
SIGN
• Like any other institution, language changes
• Proportion between fixed tradition and the free action of society
• There are shifts in the relationship between the signified and the signifier.
For example:
Thee/you
Septiembre/setiembre
Mouse = animal / Mouse = device
Why does the linguistic sign change?
• It can change because it is arbitrary.
• External forces (social, cultural, political,
ideological, etc.) that affect either sounds or
images.
• Continuity in time is coupled to change in time.
LINGUISTIC VALUE VS. MEANING

• Thought is a shapeless mass, organized by


language.
• No ideas preexist language.
• Language shapes the way we think.
• Language is pure form, not substance.
SOUND AND THOUGHT =
TWO SIDES OF A SHEET OF PAPER
LANGUAGE IS A SYSTEM OF PURE VALUES

• Language is not a naming process, it is a system of pure


values
• Language is a system of interdependent terms. The value of
each term results from the simultaneous presence of the others.
• The sign is not just a link between a signified and a signifier.
• Meaning is the counterpart of the signifier. At sign level only.
• Value is a part of meaning
• The value of a sign is defined by opposition to the
whole system of signs.
• Value is the product of the system, not the result of
individual relationships.
• Language is a series of contiguous subdivisions on
both the thoughts and sound.
• Linguistics works in the borderland where thought
and sound combine.
• Values are relative and never fixed.
• Usage and general acceptance create value.
• Linguistic value should be studied considering the
signified, the signifier and the sign as a whole.
LINGUISTIC VALUE FROM A CONCEPTUAL POINT OF VIEW

•Value is one element in signification.


•In a linguistic sign, the concept is the counterpart of the sound
image.
•But the sign itself is the counterpart of all the other signs in the
system.
•Why? Because language is a system of interdependent signs in
which the value of one results from the simultaneous presence
of all the others in the system.
All values are defined within the system and are governed by the principle of
similarity and dissimilarity.

• A word can be compared to others of a similar nature.


• A word can be exchanged by others it opposes to.
• All linguistic signs, including grammatical entities have a value that results
from its opposition to all the others in the system.
WHAT’S THE LINGUISTIC VALUE OF “ÉL”?

• It depends on:
1) its similarity to other pronouns in the system
2) its dissimilarity to the rest of the pronouns.
• Language is a system of interdependent values.
• If the value of a sign changes, all the other values are affected.
• If there is a new convention for a third non-binary personal pronoun, that
would imply not only the creation of a new pronoun with its own value, but
also a readjustment of the entire system of pronouns.
LINGUISTIC VALUE: SIMILARITY AND DISSIMILARITY

BLUE IS SIMILAR TO YELLOW, GREEN, RED, ETC.


THEY ARE ALL COLOURS.

BLUE IS DIFFERENT FROM YELLOW, GREEN, RED, ETC.


• When two languages are compared, there might be no correspondence
between the values in one language and the values in the other. = Translation
• Mrs. / Miss /Ms
• Cerdo/Pig-Pork
• Fish / Pez / Pescado
• Celeste/Blue/Light blue/Azul claro
• Fucsia/Pink?/Bright pink?
LINGUISTIC VALUE FROM A MATERIAL POINT OF VIEW: LETTERS AND SOUNDS

• Regarding value, what matters is not the actual realization of the sounds in a
signifier, but the differences that make it possible to distinguish that signifier
from others.
• Phonological differences carry signification.
• Phonemes are opposing, relative and negative entities.
• The linguistic sign is arbitrary and differential at the same time.
LETTERS AND WRITING

There is no relationship
whatsoever between the sound /t/
and the letter “t”.
It may be written in many different
ways, as long as it is not confused
with other letters.
LINGUISTIC VALUE
• The linguistic value of a sign is not defined positively
considering the sign content or sound.
• It is defined negatively by contrast to the rest of the system.
• A sign is what the others are not.
• The value of a sign may change without affecting its meaning
or its sound, just because the value of a neighbouring sign has
changed.
LINGUISTIC VALUE OF THE SIGN AS A
WHOLE:
• In language there are only differences.
• A linguistic system is a series of differences of sounds combined with a series of
differences of ideas.
• Both the signifier and the signified are purely negative values, but…
• When considered as a whole, linguistic signs are positive entities that oppose to the rest
of the system.
• Whatever distinguishes one sign from the rest constitutes that sign. In other words, a sign
is what distinguishes it from the rest.
WHAT ABOUT TRANSLATION?
• We translate linguistic signs, relating signifiers to
signifieds in the source text and replacing them by
other signifiers related to other signifieds in the
target language.
• Signifiers and signifieds are included in systems in
which all the elements are interdependent, so
linguistic value plays a crucial role in translation.
MUCHAS GRACIAS

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