Ferdinand de Saussure and the Origins of Structuralism

Structuralism

In this course, Dr Paul-François Tremlett (The Open University) explores the origins and development of structuralist analysis. In the first module, we outline the foundational ideas of structuralism in the work of linguist Ferdinand de Saussure, who argued that language must be analysed as a deep system which creates meaning through structures rather than individual words. The second module then looks at how these concepts were developed and incorporated into the discipline of anthropology by Claude Lévi-Strauss. In the third module, we consider how Lévi-Strauss applied structural analysis to the study of myth, including his views on how to read myths and the role of authors’ intentions in creating meaning. The fourth module turns to Roland Barthes, who sought to combine Lévi-Strauss’ structuralist approach to myth with Marxist theory to produce an account of how ideology functions in modern societies. We conclude with a fifth module on post-structuralism and Jacque Derrida’s method of deconstruction, which seeks to challenge the foundational assumptions around language and meaning on which western philosophy is based.

Ferdinand de Saussure and the Origins of Structuralism

In this module, we think about the origins of structuralism in the linguistic theories of Ferdinand de Saussure. We focus on: (i) Saussure’s distinction between two levels of language - surface-level parole (words and speech), and langue (grammar), the underlying structure which makes language makes sense; (ii) his suggestion that linguistics can be studied “diachronically” or “synchronically”, and his preference for the latter; (iii) Saussure’s view of words as comprising two elements - signifier (the sound of the word) and signified (the image or idea the word conveys); (iv) his argument that words are not meaningful by themselves, but only in their relationships with other words, and that these relationships occur along two dimensions - the syntagmatic and the paradigmatic; (v) the overall concept of structuralism developed by Saussure - the study of the deep, timeless structures which organise and give meaning to language.