Saussure: Signs, System and Arbitrariness

by David Holdcroft

Book Overview

The Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure (1857-1913) has exerted a profound influence not only on twentieth century linguistics but on a whole range of disciplines within the humanities and social sciences. His central thesis was that the primary object in studying a language is the state of that language at a particular time - a so-called synchronic study. He went on to claim that a language state is a socially constituted system of signs that are...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521339189
• ISBN13: 9780521339186
• Release Date: April 1991
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 196 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.5"