Ferdinand de Saussure
Born: 01-01-1857
Ferdinand de Saussure was a pioneering Swiss linguist whose ideas laid the foundation for modern linguistic theory. Born in 1857, he is best known for his course in general linguistics, which introduced concepts like the linguistic sign, synchronic and diachronic analysis, and structuralism. Saussure's work profoundly influenced disciplines beyond linguistics, including anthropology, semiotics, and literary theory, establishing him as a central figure in 20th-century intellectual thought.
Book summaries for books written by Ferdinand de Saussure
Quotes
Language is a system of signs that expresses ideas.
The linguistic sign unites, not a thing and a name, but a concept and a sound-image.
The sign is arbitrary.
Language is a social institution.
The individual is powerless to modify the language they speak.
Speech is a part of language, but only a part.
Language is not a function of thought.
The value of a linguistic sign is purely negative.
Language is a system of differences without positive terms.
The sign is not a link between a thing and a name, but between a concept and a sound pattern.
The linguistic sign is arbitrary, but it is not wholly so.
Language is both a social product and a social instrument.