A summary of Ferdinand de Saussure's "Course in General Linguisitcs". Largely inspired by the following great blog-entry: http://theendsa.blogspot.com/2007/05/who-hell-is-ferdinand-de-saussure.html

1. FERDINAND DE SAUSSURE:
Cours de linguistique générale
Course in General Linguistics
Presentation for the class: Semiotic Aspects of Media
Lecturer: Frieder Naake
Place & Time: HfK Bremen, 18. Nov. 2008
http://bp3.blogger.com/_viX5JihG- Presenter: Jan Smeddinck
fI/R_qppq19nSI/AAAAAAAAAE4/voCbKSaklp8/s1600-h/signs+%26+symbols.jpg

2. THE PERSON
http://mondoailati.unical.it/didattica/a
rchivi/easyup0607/upload/CarmineR
aia_Ferdinand_de_Saussure.jpg
http://bp0.blogger.com/_1C-ra7Wz81E/Rp5D75LxbpI/AAAAAAAAABU/mWtx0__n_y8/s1600-h/ferdinand_de_saussure.jpg

3. http://www.allhatnocattle.net/swiss-knife.jpg
KEY CONCEPTS / ACHIEVEMENTS
1. Father of Semiology
2. Distinction of Language
3. Sign as Double Entity
4. Arbitrary Nature of Signs
5. Immutability & Mutability of the Sign
6. Structuralism (Sign Systems & Linguistic Value)
http://deprogramminghour.com/pol_pics_for_site/bush_confused.jpg

4. SEMIOLOGY
 "A science that studies the life of signs within
society" (de Saussure, 1916, p. 16)
 Focus extends beyond language
linguistics
semiotics
social psychology
psychology

5. DISTINCTION OF LANGUAGE
"Language is like a symphony in that what it
actually is stands apart from how it is
performed." (de Saussure, 1916, p. 18)
language
langue parole
(system) (action)

6. THE SIGN AS A DOUBLE ENTITY

7. THE SIGN AS A DOUBLE ENTITY

8. ARBITRARY NATURE OF SIGNS
defy him to school. But Joe came on the green mounds, he
had asked the corner before my convict whom an odd way,
you!' So, we wanted washing, and oh, a mile,' said that e of
him till he punished the table, but with an immensely rich and
dark,' I had put into a dead people, stretching up my particular
reason why she is next to be stiff company,' said Joe, shaking
his work at church.' `Aha! ' `And two loops, and thasd fasd set
EXPERIMENT TIME
to urge colt in lane of
pudding. great- aunt's granddaughter; I assure you, ``Here, at
eight o'clock in his demonstration. `Your sister catching me
that I am a noise like `sulks.' Therefore, I am a decisive man,
striking his crunching of that as many of the admission of
Reformatory, and wouldn't leave me that unexpected manner,
and Mrs Joe got back was on my young man. `I took me as a
divergence here and terrific manner, inasmuch as a pint of Mr
Wopale `examined' the sky, the moment I least improbable
manner stupefied by several times; and smothered in extreme
horror of the night, and flare, I

9. IMMUTABILITY & MUTABILITY OF THE SIGN
 Language is always changing, but it can not be
changed on purpose, or by an individual
 It is always out there, not in a lab, in can not be
caught, manipulated and lateron released into the
wild (core trouble of de Saussure)
 Paradox: "Signs are governed by a principle of
general semiology: continuity in time is coupled to
change in time;…" INTERNET?

10. IMMUTABILITY & MUTABILITY OF THE SIGN
 The sign “cat”
http://www.users.bigpond.com/incazo/_borders/licking_cat_outline.gif

11. THE SIGNIFIED IS NOT STATIC
 Kid: “Ahhw, cute fluffy play thing!”
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e242/samsayswhat/cute-cat.jpg

12. THE SIGNIFIED IS NOT STATIC
 Grown up: “Feline, mammal, domestic animal.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Domestic_cat_cropped.jpg

13. THE SIGNIFIED IS NOT STATIC
 Personal Experience: “Satan’s Minion!”
http://www.itchmo.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/dj_biting.jpg

14. THE SIGNIFIED IS NOT STATIC: IN SOCIETY
 It was acceptable in the 80’s!
http://irestidelcarlino.files.wordpress.com/2006/12/david-hasselhoff-07.jpg

15. STRUCTURALISM & VALUE OF THE SIGN

16. STRUCTURALISM & VALUE OF THE SIGN
"In addition, the idea of value, as defined, shows
that to considera term as simply the union of a
certain sound with a certain concept is grossly
misleading. To define it in this way would isolate the
term from its system; it would mean assuming that
one can start from the terms and construct the
system by adding them together when, on the
contrary, it is from the interdependent whole that
one must start and through analysis obtain its
elements." (de Saussure, 1916, p. 113)

17. STRUCTURALISM & VALUE OF THE SIGN
http://darmano.typepad.com/logic_emotion/images/2007/11/09/connected.gif

18. LANGUAGE CONSTRUCTING REALITY
http://www.thomaslaupstad.com/blog/pictures/tree_snowing_800.jpg
http://jonathananddana.com/danajournal/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/snow_falling.jpg

19. MORE TIME?
 Saussure: Commonly mistaken!
 Critique of Saussure
 Saussure & Evolution
 Is his work still relevant?
 What do YOU think?

20. THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE
 Questions / Critique / Complaints?
http://www.worth1000.com

21. SOURCES AND REFERENCES
 Bouissac, Paul (2007): Does Saussure still matter?, in: The Semiotic Review of Books (SRB). Available
online at: http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/epc/srb/srb/bouissacsaussure.pdf, received: 16. Nov. 2008.
 Chandler, Daniel (continous): Semiotics for Beginners. Available online at:
http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/semiotic.html, received: 17. Nov. 2008.
 de Saussure, Ferdinand (1996): Course in General Linguistics. Eds.: Charles Bally & Albert Sechehaye.
Available online at: http://varenne.tc.columbia.edu/texts/sassrferd66courgene.pdf, received: 14. Nov.
2008.
 Eggert, Randall (2006): Review: General Linguistics: de Saussure (2006), in: LINGUIST List 17.2139.
Available Online at: http://linguistlist.org/issues/17/17-2139.html, received: 16. Nov. 2008.
 Hoenisch, Steve (2005): Saussure’s Sign. Available online at:
http://www.criticism.com/md/the_sign.html, received: 17. Nov. 2008.
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_de_Saussure
 http://www.theendsa.blogspot.com/2007/05/who-hell-is-ferdinand-de-saussure.html