FERDINAND DE SAUSSURE:Cours de linguistique générale

Course in General Linguistics

Presentation for the class: Semiotic Aspects of Media

Lecturer: Frieder Naake

Place & Time: HfK Bremen, 18. Nov. 2008

Presenter: Jan Smeddinckhttp://bp3.blogger.com/_viX5JihG-

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THE PERSON

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KEY CONCEPTS / ACHIEVEMENTS

1. Father of Semiology

2. Distinction of Language

3. Sign as Double Entity

4. Arbitrary Nature of Signs

5. Immutability & Mutability of the Sign

6. Structuralism (Sign Systems & Linguistic Value)

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SEMIOLOGY

"A science that studies the life of signs within

society" (de Saussure, 1916, p. 16)

Focus extends beyond language

linguistics

semiotics

social psychology

psychology

DISTINCTION OF LANGUAGE

language

langue (system)

parole (action)

"Language is like a symphony in that what it

actually is stands apart from how it is

performed." (de Saussure, 1916, p. 18)

THE SIGN AS A DOUBLE ENTITY

THE SIGN AS A DOUBLE ENTITY

ARBITRARY NATURE OF SIGNS

defy him to school. But Joe came on the green mounds, he had asked the corner before my convict whom an odd way, you!' So, we wanted washing, and oh, a mile,' said that e of him till he punished the table, but with an immensely rich and dark,' I had put into a dead people, stretching up my particular reason why she is next to be stiff company,' said Joe, shaking his work at church.' `Aha! ' `And two loops, and thasd fasd set

to urge colt in EXPERIMENT TIME lane of pudding. great- aunt's granddaughter; I assure you, ``Here, at eight o'clock in his demonstration. `Your sister catching me that I am a noise like `sulks.' Therefore, I am a decisive man, striking his crunching of that as many of the admission of Reformatory, and wouldn't leave me that unexpected manner, and Mrs Joe got back was on my young man. `I took me as a divergence here and terrific manner, inasmuch as a pint of MrWopale `examined' the sky, the moment I least improbable manner stupefied by several times; and smothered in extreme horror of the night, and flare, I

IMMUTABILITY & MUTABILITY OF THE SIGN

Language is always changing, but it can not be

changed on purpose, or by an individual

It is always out there, not in a lab, in can not be

caught, manipulated and lateron released into the

wild (core trouble of de Saussure)

Paradox: "Signs are governed by a principle of

general semiology: continuity in time is coupled to

change in time;…" INTERNET?

IMMUTABILITY & MUTABILITY OF THE SIGN

The sign “cat”

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THE SIGNIFIED IS NOT STATIC

Kid: “Ahhw, cute fluffy play thing!”

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THE SIGNIFIED IS NOT STATIC

Grown up: “Feline, mammal, domestic animal.”

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THE SIGNIFIED IS NOT STATIC

Personal Experience: “Satan’s Minion!”

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THE SIGNIFIED IS NOT STATIC: IN SOCIETY

It was acceptable in the 80’s!

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STRUCTURALISM & VALUE OF THE SIGN

STRUCTURALISM & VALUE OF THE SIGN

"In addition, the idea of value, as defined, shows

that to considera term as simply the union of a

certain sound with a certain concept is grossly

misleading. To define it in this way would isolate the

term from its system; it would mean assuming that

one can start from the terms and construct the

system by adding them together when, on the

contrary, it is from the interdependent whole that

one must start and through analysis obtain its

elements." (de Saussure, 1916, p. 113)

STRUCTURALISM & VALUE OF THE SIGN

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LANGUAGE CONSTRUCTING REALITY

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MORE TIME?

Saussure: Commonly mistaken!

Critique of Saussure

Saussure & Evolution

Is his work still relevant?

What do YOU think?

THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE

Questions / Critique / Complaints?

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SOURCES AND REFERENCES

Bouissac, Paul (2007): Does Saussure still matter?, in: The Semiotic Review of Books (SRB). Available

online at: http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/epc/srb/srb/bouissacsaussure.pdf, received: 16. Nov. 2008.

Chandler, Daniel (continous): Semiotics for Beginners. Available online at:

http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/semiotic.html, received: 17. Nov. 2008.

de Saussure, Ferdinand (1996): Course in General Linguistics. Eds.: Charles Bally & Albert Sechehaye.

Available online at: http://varenne.tc.columbia.edu/texts/sassrferd66courgene.pdf, received: 14. Nov.

2008.

Eggert, Randall (2006): Review: General Linguistics: de Saussure (2006), in: LINGUIST List 17.2139.

Available Online at: http://linguistlist.org/issues/17/17-2139.html, received: 16. Nov. 2008.

Hoenisch, Steve (2005): Saussure’s Sign. Available online at:

http://www.criticism.com/md/the_sign.html, received: 17. Nov. 2008.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_de_Saussure

http://www.theendsa.blogspot.com/2007/05/who-hell-is-ferdinand-de-saussure.html