Description
Book SynopsisFerdinand de Saussure (1857-1913) is generally considered one of the main founders of modern linguistics and semiotics. This title introduces the reader to the ways in which Saussure developed his revolutionary insights on language and demystifies his complex theories.
Trade ReviewThe current volume, by someone who is not just a competent semiotician but a giant of contemporary semiotics, explains and assesses Saussure's bequest to sign study. Paul Bouissac's Saussure: A Guide for the Perplexed prints the bigger picture, not just the legend, and helps to open up a whole new era in the analysis of the cultural sign. -- Paul Cobley, Reader in Communications London Metropolitan University, UK
Table of Contents1. Saussure's last lectures: a perplexed man; 2. Saussure's student years: insights and accomplishments; 3. Saussure in Berlin and Paris: What did it mean to be a linguist in 1880?; 4. Saussure the maverick: thinking outside the box; 5. S. like synchrony, structure, sign and semiology; 6. Diachrony: Saussure and the problem of time; 7. The Course in General Linguistics: Saussure's conceptual legacy; 8. From Saussure to Saussurism and back: the unfinished task; Appendix 1: Saussurean scholarship; Appendix 2: Quotes from Saussure.
