COURSE IN GENERAL LINGUISTICS (1919)
COURSE IN GENERAL LINGUISTICS (1919)
Charles Bally and Albert Sechehaye on the basis of notes taken from Saussure's lectures in Geneva.
Albert Sechehaye
Charles Bally
THE OBJECT OF STUDY
FERDINAND DE SAUSSURE
• Born26 November 1857Geneva, Switzerland
• Died22 February 1913 (aged 55)Vufflens-le-Château, Vaud, Switzerland
• Alma materLeipzig University• Era19th-century philosophy• Region : Western philosophy • School Structuralism, semiotics• InstitutionsEPHE
University of Geneva• Main interests• Linguistics• Notable ideas• Semiology, langue and parole,synchronic analysis, arbitrariness of
the linguistic sign
INFLUNCES:Bhartṛhari भर्तृ��हरि� ( 5TH CENT BC)
SOUND OF A SPEAKER
VOCAL ORGANS
PHONETIC DUALITYORAL ACTIVITY/AUDITORY IMPRESSION
SOUND GIVES US IDEA:A PSYCHOLOGICAL CONCEPT
LANGUAGE ISINDIVIDUAL/SOCIAL
LANGUAGE AS DIACHRONIC
( HISTORICAL)SYNCHRONIC ( THE
PRESENT FORM)
“IN REALITY, THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE TWO ( DIACHRONIC AND SYNCHRONIC) IS SO CLOSE THAT IT IS HARD TO SEPARATE THEM” (03)
“ WE ARE SIMULTANEOUSLY AWARE OF THE NEED TO DEAL WITH OTHER SUBJECTS SUCH AS PSYCHOLOGY, ANTHROPOLOGY, PHILOSOPHY, PRESPECTIVE GRAMMAR AND SO ON. THAT IS WHERE THE PROBLEM LIE”
ONLY STRUCTURAL APPROACH CAN SOLVE THE PROBLEM
FROM THE CENTRE OF LANGUAGE TO THE OTHER FIELDS
WHETHER OUR SPEECH ORGANS ARE NATURAL TO SPEAK?
“THE STRUCTURE OF LANGUAGE IS A SOCIAL PRODUCT OF OUR LANGUAGE FACULTY”
HE QUOTES WILLIAM DWIGHT WHITNEY ( A SANSKRIT SCHOLAR) THAT IT IS MERE ACCIDENT THAT VOCAL ACCARATUS HAS COME TO BE UTILIZED FOR LANGUAGE
WHITNEY WROTE 24 VOL DICTIONARY The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia (1891)
SAUSSURE AND BROCA’S DISCOVERY
BROCA’S SPOTPAUL BROCA DISCOVERED BRAIN AREA ( THIRD FRONTAL OF THE LEFT HEMISPHERE) FOR LANGUAGE
Broca's work also contributed to the development of physical anthropology, advancing the science ofanthropometry
APHASIA: Aphasia is a combination of a speech and language disorder
SAUSSURE’S SPEECH CIRCUIT
SPEECH CIRCUIT
1. WAVES FROM MOUTH.2. INTERNAL PART WHICH CREATES
IT.3. PSYCHOLOGICAL/NON-
PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECT.4. ACTIVE AND PASSIVE PART
LANGUAGE IS A SOCIAL ACTIVITY
SPEECH/LANGUAGE
STRUCTURE/LANGUAGESTRUCTURE/FRENCH, GERMAN, HINDI ETC
Langue :encompasses the abstract, systematic rules and conventions of a signifying system.
Parole typically when it is translated means speech.
AN INDIVIDUAL IS”POWERLESS EITHER TO CREATE OR THE MODIFY”
LANGUAGE IS SYSTEM OF SIGNS.
SPEECH IS INDIVIDUAL
PART III“LANGUAGES AND THEIR PLACE IN HUMAN AFFAIRS, SEMIOLOGY”
JONATHAN CULLER: “WHEN SAUSSURE POSTULATED A SCIENCE OF ‘SEMIOLOGY,’ OR THE SCIENCE OF SIGNS, HE SAID THAT IF ONE CONSIDERS RITES AND CUSTOMS AS SIGNS, THEY WILL APPEAR IN NEW LIGHT.”
THIS PAVED WAY TO
• LEVI STRAUSS: STRUCTURE IN ANTHROPOLOGY.•ROLAND BARTHES.•CHOMSKY: IN GRAMMAR