Saussurean Dichotomies Quiz & Flashcards: Linguistics

What do diachronic studies focus on?

Why did Saussure emphasize the synchronic side of language studies?

What was a major concern among some linguists in the late twentieth century regarding synchronic and diachronic linguistics?

How are living languages described in the text?

What does variationist linguistics, as developed by William Labov, focus on?

In what way do some speakers react to semantic changes like 'imply' and 'infer' becoming less distinct?

How do linguistic changes progress through a speech community according to the text?

What is a key aspect of structuralism in linguistics?

How did Saussure's work influence the field of linguistics?

What is the central idea behind Langue and Parole in Saussurean linguistics?

Ferdinand de Saussure and Linguistics

Ferdinand de Saussure, a Swiss linguist, is often regarded as the father of modern linguistics.
His work on Indo-European language history gained recognition, but his most significant influence emerged posthumously with the publication of Cours de linguistique générale.
This seminal text, reconstructed from students' notes, established structuralism as a dominant approach in linguistics.

Key Concepts from Saussure's Work

Saussure introduced fundamental distinctions essential for linguistic analysis, notably "langue" and "parole."

Langue versus Parole

Langue: Represents the collective system of language shared by a community, existing beyond any individual speaker.
Parole: Relates to individual speech acts and observable language use; it is not uniform across speakers.
Saussure's perspective emphasizes communal language study, while Noam Chomsky focuses on individual language potential (I-language).
The analogy of chess illustrates their approaches—Saussure studies the game's rules (langue) while Chomsky examines the player's potential moves (I-language).

Synchrony versus Diachrony

Saussure differentiates between two analytical perspectives on language:
- Synchrony: Analysis of a language at a specific point in time, such as modern American English syntax or historical French phonology.
- Diachrony: Examination of language development and changes over time, such as the evolution of the English verb system or shifts in Arabic phonology from classical to contemporary periods.

Learn about the Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure and his influential work in modern linguistics, including the reconstruction of his course in linguistics by his students. Explore the impact of his Cours de linguistique générale published posthumously.