Blackwell Reference Online

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Ferdinand de Saussure is an important linguist and, along with C. S. Peirce, one of the two main contributors to semiotics ( Sebeok 2001 ; Sanders 2004 ). His distinction between the signifier and the signified is central. The theory of signification, the idea that a sign is an entirely arbitrary verbal or written phonemic and phonetic device, is attributed to him. The word “cat” and the word “chat” are different only linguistically; the signified “object” remains the same ( Koerner 1973 ). The standard view of Saussure is based on posthumous publication of his lecture notes ( Saussure 1967, 1968, 1989 [1916] ). Like work by Weber and Mead, the Course in General Linguistics (1916) is the product of other hands. Between 1906 and 1911, Saussure taught three courses on general linguistics. Student notes have now been published separately ( Saussure 1993 [1910–11], 1996 [1907], 1997 [1908–9]). Bouissac (2005) argues that the standard view of Saussure is incorrect; he did not reach any definitive conclusions concerning general linguistics or semiology. Indeed, Saussure (2002) found many ideas in linguistics problematic epistemologically. He linked “signology” ( signologie ) to psychology. He poses epistemological questions, but there is debate concerning his answers. His emphasis on evolutionary change can be thought of as sophisticated neo-Darwinian theory (e.g., cognitive neuroscience). ... log in or subscribe to read full text