Aperçu des sections

  • Généralités

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  • Language Definition – Saussure’s Dichotomies

  • Language Definition – Structural Relations and the Linguistic Sign Part 2

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      This part of the lecture further develops the foundational principles of language as established by Ferdinand de Saussure, with a particular focus on structural relationships and meaning construction within language.

      It examines the distinction between synchronic and diachronic approaches, emphasizing how language can be analysed either as a fixed system at a given moment or as an evolving entity shaped by historical change. This perspective enables learners to understand both the stability and transformation of linguistic systems.

      The lecture also explores syntagmatic and paradigmatic relations, highlighting how meaning is generated through the combination of linguistic units in sequences and through the selection or substitution of elements within the same category. These relations illustrate the structural organization of language at both sentence and word levels.

      Finally, the session focuses on the concept of the linguistic sign, defined as the association between the signifier (sound image) and the signified (concept). Special attention is given to the arbitrary nature of this relationship, which underlines the conventional and symbolic character of language.

      Overall, this part deepens your understanding of how language operates as a structured system of signs governed by relational and functional principles.


  • Section 3

  • Section 4

  • Section 5

  • Section 6

  • Section 7

  • Section 8

  • Section 9

  • Section 10