Question

The terms, 'langue' and 'parole' have been introduced by:

• A. Fredinand de Saussure
• B. Roman Jakobson
• C. John Barthes
• D. Claade Levi Straass

Answer 1

Answer:

A. Fredinand de Saussure

Ferdinand de Saussure and his contributions to Linguistics:

• Ferdinand de Saussure (1857-1913) was a Swiss linguist whose posthumously published Course in General Linguistics (1916) laid the foundation for modern structural linguistics.
• He is often referred to as one of the two most important figures in early 20th-century linguistics, alongside the American linguist Leonard Bloomfield.
• Saussure's work introduced a new way of looking at language, moving away from historical linguistics to synchronic (at a single point in time) analysis.

• Key Concepts Introduced by Saussure:

  • Langue vs. Parole: This is a fundamental distinction in Saussure's theory.
    • Langue: Refers to the abstract, social system of language. It is the shared, underlying structure of a language that exists independently of any individual speaker. Think of it as the grammar, vocabulary, and rules that all speakers of a language adhere to. It is a social fact.
    • Parole: Refers to the concrete, individual act of speaking. It is the actual utterances made by individuals, which are subject to variations and errors. It is the use of the language system in specific instances.
  • Signifier and Signified: Saussure proposed that a linguistic sign is composed of two parts:
    • Signifier: The sound-image or written form of a word (e.g., the spoken word 'tree' or the written letters t-r-e-e).
    • Signified: The concept or meaning associated with the signifier (e.g., the idea of a large woody plant).
    He argued that the relationship between the signifier and the signified is arbitrary, meaning there is no inherent reason why a particular sound or word should represent a particular concept.
  • Synchronic vs. Diachronic Linguistics:
    • Synchronic linguistics: Studies language as it exists at a particular point in time, focusing on the relationships between its elements.
    • Diachronic linguistics: Studies the historical development of language over time.
    Saussure emphasized the importance of synchronic study for understanding language structure.
  • Arbitrariness of the Linguistic Sign: The relationship between the signifier and the signified is not based on any natural resemblance. For example, the word 'dog' does not sound like a dog.
  • Linearity of the Signifier: Spoken and written signifiers occur in time or space, one after another, forming a chain.
• Saussure's ideas profoundly influenced not only linguistics but also fields such as semiotics (the study of signs and symbols), anthropology, literary theory, and sociology.
• His work is a cornerstone for understanding structuralism and post-structuralism in literary and cultural studies.