Saussure
•A Course on General Linguistics (English translation in 1959)- Saussure’s 1915 work language – a system where various components existed in relation to each other.
•Diachronic study (not enough) : how words acquire meaning over period.
•Synchronic study: how words mean within a period. Current state of language and not historic. Eg Glamorous- had a different meaning in the past- was used to describe witches. But now it has a totally different meaning.
3 significant moves of Saussure
1.Divides language into 2 main components- Langue and Parole
Langue: set of rules in the language
Parole: Everyday speech
2.Relational theory of language
Words exist in relation to each other- meaning of each word is dependent on meaning of the other words.You can recognize the meaning of a word by differentiating words. Eg cat is ‘cat’ because it is not ‘bat’.
3.Words and meaning are not natural but created through repeated usage.
There is no relationship between the word ‘cat’ and the actual animal. We give meaning to the word by using it repeatedly.
The word (cat) - Signifier
Meaning/ concept (cat)- Signified
Arbitrary relationship between signifier and signified
Three principles
1.Arbitrariness
2.Relationality
3.Systematicity
Note1: Saussure’s ideas were later adopted by Claude Levi- Strauss to analyse rituals, myths and kinship. This created the discipline of ‘Structural anthropology’.
Note 2: Saussure’s ideas were also appropriated by linguists and literary critics in Europe and Russia. In Russia, a mode of analysis developed around theories of language called Russian Formalism.
So the points that you have to remember
Points to remember:
1.Main purpose of new critics
2.Major proponents of new criticism
3.Works of Wimsatt and beardsley, william Empson, I.A Richards- date of publication
4.Saussure’s work – publication
5.Langue and parole
6.Relational theory of language
7.Arbitrariness
8.Structural anthropology
Russian Formalism
We would soon make a video lesson on it for you to understand better. Do post your comments/ queries and let us know about it on the Forum (in the menu)
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