The Structuralist Semantics

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Islamic Science and Culture Research Institute

Abstract

In Saussure's thought، language is a passive and collective، universal system of signs، agreed upon by the members of a community، which is installed and fixed in their minds like software. The signs of language only gain their value، role، and meaning in relation to each other within the system، and they are contrasted with one another. Therefore، it is not the form، gender، or other characteristics that determine the role، value، and meaning of a sign، but the structure، rules، and conventions. In fact، it is language that makes speech and thought possible by creating distinctions. In this way، the source of meaning in structuralist thought is language، which، according to the features assigned to it، exists before the speaker and text. This study، using a descriptive-analytical method، aims to explain Saussurian structuralist semantics while highlighting the shortcomings of this approach. The result of the study shows that Saussure’s structural semiotic system is like a dictionary، where signs are mechanically connected to referents in a closed، collective system، and signs are distinguished from one another in a structural order. As a result، the word is considered the unit of meaning study، and linguistic knowledge is treated as encyclopedic knowledge. When we consider the word as the unit of meaning study، we assume that words have meaning before being placed in a sentence، whereas the meaning of a word cannot be analyzed independently of the context it is used in، the prevailing atmosphere، and the information stored in the memory of language users

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References

  1. Culler, J. (1986). Ferdinand de Saussure (2nd rev. ed.). Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
  2. Safavi, K. (2020). A look at the history of semantics (1st ed.). Tehran: Elmi Publications. [In Persian]
  3. Saussure, F. de. (1974). Course in general linguistics (J. Culler, Intro.; C. Bally & A. Sechehaye, Eds.; in collaboration with A. Reidlinger; W. Baskin, Trans.). Fontana/Collins.
  4. Saussure, F. de. (1993). Saussure’s third course of lectures on general linguistics, from the notebooks of Emile Constantin (E. Komatsu, Ed.; R. Harris, Trans.). Pergamon Press.

Saussure, F. de. (1997). Saussure’s second course of lectures on general linguistics, from the notebooks of Albert Riedlinger and Charles Patois (E. Komatsu, Ed.; G. Wolf, Trans.). Pergamon Press

Islamic Knowledge Management
Volume 5, Issue 2
February 2025
Pages 171-193

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History

  • Receive Date: 14 July 2024
  • Revise Date: 22 October 2024
  • Accept Date: 09 November 2024

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