Saussure's Contributions to Linguistics: From Mythic Riders to Taxonomical Conundrums

 
Arrival of the Real: Mythic Riders of Uncharted Shores

Once upon a time, a tranquil island in the vast expanse of the sea was disrupted by an unexpected arrival. From the depths of the ocean emerged imposing ships, bearing symbols of distant lands and unknown powers. Among the invaders rode warriors on towering beasts - horses, unseen and unknown to the islanders. This sight astonished them. They had never encountered such creatures and, in their bewilderment, they perceived the riders and horses as a single supernatural being, a mythic entity with two heads, two arms, and six legs.

This misperception arose because they had never encountered such reality before, leaving them puzzled and perplexed.The sight of these massive animals, ridden by conquerors, filled them with wonder and fear. Unable to categorize these "beasts," they attributed a mystical significance to them, beyond their understanding.

The horses' imposing presence, combined with the invaders' masterful tactics, proved devastatingly effective. As the sun set on the island's battered shores, the inhabitants, shaken by the unknown, vowed to rise from the ashes of destruction and reclaim what was rightfully theirs.

Introduction:

Language has long intrigued philosophers with its intricate nature and multifaceted dimensions. Ferdinand de Saussure likened the complexity of language to a horse straddling multiple domains, metaphorically representing its elusive essence. In both "Course in General Linguistics" and "Écrits de Linguistique Générale," Saussure delves into the enigmatic nature of language, emphasizing its intertwining with various orders. This article aims to explore Saussure's insights and the inherent complexities of language, shedding light on the challenges faced in defining its essence and proposing potential resolutions to bridge divides across fields.

Language as a Complex Phenomenon: A Horse Straddling Multiple Domains

In his pursuit to define the essence of language, Saussure draws a vivid analogy, likening it to a horse encompassing multiple territories ("à cheval sur plusieurs domaines") [CLG] [25]. He sharply observes language's multifaceted and heterogeneous nature, noting its incorporation of physical, physiological, and psychological dimensions, intertwined with individual and social realms. Consequently, language defies conventional classification of human phenomena, posing a challenge to identify its unity:

“Language in its entirety has many different and disparate aspects. It lies astride the boundaries separating various domains. It is at the same time physical, physiological and psychological. It belongs both to the individual and to society. No classification of human phenomena provides any single place for it, because language as such has no discernible unity” [CLG] [25].

Saussure contends that linguistic phenomena inherently possess two complementary facets. For instance, while the ear perceives articulated syllables as auditory impressions, these sounds derive from the intricate workings of vocal organs. Additionally, this symbiotic relationship between sound and articulation merges with ideas to form a comprehensive unit, both physiologically and psychologically.

Moreover, language manifests both individual and social dimensions, inseparable from each other. It embodies an established system and an evolutionary trajectory, blurring the lines between present institution and historical evolution.

“Language has an individual aspect and a social aspect. One is not conceivable without the other. Furthermore: Language at any given time involves an established system and an evolution. At any given time, it is an institution in the present and a product of the past. At first sight, it looks very easy to distinguish between the system and its history, between what it is and what it was. In reality, the connexion between the two is so close that it is hard to separate them” [CLG] [24].

This intricate connection complicates their differentiation, magnifying the challenge of dissecting language's essence.

Regardless of the approach taken, a singular object of linguistic study fails to emerge autonomously. Linguists encounter a persistent dilemma: they risk oversimplification by focusing solely on one aspect or navigate through a maze of disjointed elements when studying language from multiple angles.

Saussure's perplexity regarding language is akin to the islanders' struggle to categorize the duality of the rider and the horse. Just as they perceived them as a single entity due to their deceiving relationship, Saussure grappled with language's inherent dualities and complexities, which render it elusive to conventional classification.

Saussure's Taxonomical Conundrum: The Dual Nature of Language

To illustrate the challenges inherent in defining language (le langage), Saussure employs taxonomical analogies. He compares the absurdity of determining the "species" of an iron plaque attached to a horse to the linguist's task, emphasizing the difficulty faced from the outset.

“A linguistic entity is unique in that it involves the association of two distinct elements. If we were invited first to determine the chemical classification of a sheet of iron, gold, or copper, and then the zoological species of a horse, cow, or sheep, these would be two easy tasks. But if we were asked to determine what 'species' is represented by the odd combination of an iron plaque attached to a horse, a gold plate on a cow, or a sheep adorned with something copper, we would exclaim that the task was absurd. The linguist has to realize that it is precisely this absurd task that faces him right from the very outset”. Écrits de Linguistique Générale. 2a Dual essence: The 'first and last' principle of duality.

Such juxtapositions underscore the inherent absurdity in delineating the essence of language.

Considering this, Saussure proposes a resolution to these complexities by advocating for the prioritization of linguistic structure (la langue) as the focal point of study. By anchoring analysis on linguistic structure, which he perceives as independently definable, linguists gain a tangible framework to comprehend the dualities and complexities inherent to language.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, Ferdinand de Saussure's work provides valuable insights into the intricate workings of language (le langage). Saussure adeptly illustrated, through his taxonomical analogies and observations on linguistic phenomena, that language transcends conventional categorizations, presenting a formidable challenge in pinpointing its essence. By prioritizing the study of linguistic structure (la langue), Saussure proposes a pathway towards understanding the dualities and complexities inherent in this multifaceted phenomenon. Thus, in the pursuit of understanding language, Saussure's approach offers a promising framework for bridging divides across linguistic disciplines and advancing our comprehension of this fundamental aspect of human cognition and interaction.

Related Posts from this Blog:

The Art of Negative Dialectic: What La Langue  is not

https://derridaforlinguists.blogspot.com/2023/10/blog-post_11.html

The Significance of Terminology in Saussure's Work

https://derridaforlinguists.blogspot.com/2023/09/the-significance-of-terminology-in.html

Bibliography

Saussure, Ferdinand de. 1916. Cours de linguistique générale. Edited by Charles Bally and Albert Sechehaye, with Albert Riedlinger. Libraire Payot.

Saussure, Ferdinand de. "Course in General Linguistics." Translated and annotated by Roy Harris. With a new introduction by Roy Harris. Bloomsbury, 2013.

Ferdinand de Saussure, Ecrits de linguistique générale. Eds. Simon Bouquet and Rudolf Engler. Paris: Gallimard, 2002.