Ferdinand de Saussure
From Geography
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Ferdinand de Saussure was a Swiss linguist. He was born in 1857 in Geneva, and died in 1913. | Ferdinand de Saussure was a Swiss linguist. He was born in 1857 in Geneva, and died in 1913. | ||
| - | He has made very imporant contributions to the linguistic studies, therefore he is called ´father of the modern linguistics´ (Hall, 1997, p. 30). He rejected the view of traditional linguistics because het disagreed with their opinion that 'words are symbols standing for objects in the world'. De Saussure introduced a new way of looking at [[representation]] and [[sign|signs]]. He said that words are a kind of sign, created by the relation between the signifier (visual image, a fysical sign) and the signified (concept behind the image). | + | He has made very imporant contributions to the linguistic studies, therefore he is called ´father of the modern linguistics´ (Hall, 1997, p. 30). He rejected the view of traditional linguistics because het disagreed with their opinion that 'words are symbols standing for objects in the world'. De Saussure introduced a new way of looking at [[representation]] and [[sign|signs]]. He said that words are a kind of sign, created by the relation between the signifier (visual image, a fysical sign) and the signified (concept behind the image). His formulation and view was quite pioneering, because his ideas were that the meaning of something is created in a complex social structure of relation and difference. |
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Due to his work, [[semiotics]] in the 19th centery emerged as a method of examining phenomena in different fields. | Due to his work, [[semiotics]] in the 19th centery emerged as a method of examining phenomena in different fields. | ||
Revision as of 16:50, 10 September 2011
Ferdinand de Saussure was a Swiss linguist. He was born in 1857 in Geneva, and died in 1913. He has made very imporant contributions to the linguistic studies, therefore he is called ´father of the modern linguistics´ (Hall, 1997, p. 30). He rejected the view of traditional linguistics because het disagreed with their opinion that 'words are symbols standing for objects in the world'. De Saussure introduced a new way of looking at representation and signs. He said that words are a kind of sign, created by the relation between the signifier (visual image, a fysical sign) and the signified (concept behind the image). His formulation and view was quite pioneering, because his ideas were that the meaning of something is created in a complex social structure of relation and difference.
Due to his work, semiotics in the 19th centery emerged as a method of examining phenomena in different fields.
References:
- Hall, S. (1997). Representation: cultural representations and signifying practices. London: Sage Publications.
- Gibson-Graham, J.K. (2000). Poststructuralist interventions. In, E. Sheppard & T. Barnes (eds.) A companion to Economic Geography. Blackwell, Oxford, pp. 95-110.
Created by Boudewijn Idema, 10 september 2011
Edited by Jobke Heij, 10 september 2011
