Stability in Motion: The Saussurean Paradox Revisited
Introduction
In the previous article, Stability and Change in Language: An Exploration of Saussure’s Linguistic Paradox, we examined how Ferdinand de Saussure’s insights revealed a fundamental tension in language: the paradox of its stability and change. While the relationship between a signifier and a signified is arbitrary and thus theoretically open to change, the established bond within a linguistic community makes it remarkably resistant to alteration. However, over time, gradual shifts occur, highlighting the dynamic nature of linguistic systems.
This follow-up article shifts focus to the deeper mechanisms that drive linguistic evolution: the role of social forces and the passage of time. We will explore how language, as a social institution, is shaped by collective usage within a community and how time inevitably introduces change, even in systems that seem fixed. By considering these factors, we gain a fuller understanding of how tongues evolve while maintaining their underlying structure.
The Social and Temporal Dimensions of Language
Language functions as a unique social institution, shaped by the collective habits and interactions of its community of speakers. Whitney emphasized this social nature, rightly highlighting the arbitrary relationship between signifier and signified, which points linguistics in a more insightful direction. However, Saussure expanded on this by arguing that the arbitrary character of linguistic signs fundamentally distinguishes linguistic structure from other social constructs, such as laws or fashion, which can be consciously altered. Unlike these constructs, speech evolves unconsciously within a community. The stability of language is maintained as speakers adhere to established signifier-signified relationships, ensuring mutual understanding. This shared adherence to linguistic norms preserves the system’s structure over time, creating a sense of continuity.
Yet, the same social context that ensures stability also fosters gradual change. As speakers use discourse in new contexts and adapt to shifts in culture or environment, subtle modifications occur, eventually transforming the language itself. Saussure highlights the role of time as a crucial factor in this process. Time allows these incremental changes to accumulate, modifying the linguistic structure without breaking it. It is through this passage of time that language evolves—not through abrupt shifts, but through a continuous process of adaptation, driven by the interplay between social forces and historical progression.
Arbitrariness and Independence of Signifier and Signified
A fundamental aspect of Saussure’s theory is the arbitrary nature of the relationship between the signifier and the signified. While this bond is established by convention within a linguistic community, the signifier and signified maintain a degree of independence from each other. This independence becomes a driving force behind language change over time. Since there is no intrinsic link between a word and its meaning, both the signifiers and the signifieds they represent can evolve independently. Over time, changes in pronunciation, shifts in cultural or social contexts, and variations in meaning gradually alter the signifier-signified pairs.
For example, as meanings shift or expand, the words used to express them may change as well, leading to a reconfiguration of linguistic structures. Saussure illustrates this with the example of the Old German word "dritteil," meaning ‘a third,’ which became the modern German "Drittel." In this case, although the concept has remained the same, the relationship has changed in two ways: the signal has altered not only phonetically but also grammatically. We no longer recognize it as a combination including the unit "Teil," meaning ‘part’; instead, it has become a single unanalysable word. That counts too as a change in relationship:
Whatever the factors involved in change, whether they act in isolation or in combination, they always result in a shift in the relationship between signal and signification. [CGL] [109-110].
The arbitrary yet independent relationship between signifiers and signifieds allows for this natural evolution, as language adapts to the needs and expressions of its speakers over generations, leading to continual, albeit gradual, transformation.
Artificial Languages as Case Studies
Artificial constructs like Esperanto provide valuable insights into the dynamics of language evolution. Although they are deliberately constructed with specific rules and vocabulary, Saussure’s theory suggests that once such means of communication are adopted by a community of speakers, they become subject to the same forces of change as natural languages. As speakers use and adapt it in everyday communication, it begins to evolve beyond the control of its creators. This evolution is driven by shifts in pronunciation, changes in usage, and adaptations to new cultural and social contexts—much like what occurs in natural linguistic systems.
For instance, variations in Esperanto have emerged among different speaker communities, reflecting regional accents and idiosyncrasies. This mirrors how natural languages develop dialects over time. Saussure’s point that "time changes everything" applies here: as long as linguistic structure is in active use, whether natural or constructed, it is shaped by the passage of time and the social interactions of its speakers. Thus, the evolution of artificial communicative frameworks highlight the inherent fluidity and adaptability of language as a social phenomenon, affirming that no expression system can remain static once it is integrated into a living community.
Diagrammatic Representations and Their Implications
Saussure employed two diagrams to depict the relationship between language, time, and the community, emphasizing the interplay of these elements in driving linguistic change. The first diagram represents linguistic structure as a stable structure, sustained by its community of speakers. This highlights how language functions as a social institution, with its stability rooted in collective agreement and shared usage [CGL] [112]:
However, Saussure stresses that this representation is incomplete without considering time. His second diagram introduces time as a crucial factor that interacts with the linguistic community [CGL] [113]:
This addition reveals how, over time, the stability of the system becomes subject to gradual shifts. Time allows social forces—like changes in cultural practices, migration, and new communication needs—to influence speech. Thus, the passage of time creates a dynamic environment where language evolves while maintaining continuity with its past.
These diagrams highlight a key insight: language change is not a result of deliberate choices by speakers but arises from the continuous interaction between the social structure of a linguistic system and the inevitable effects of time. This dual perspective helps explain why languages evolve yet retain a recognizable core across generations: what predominates in any change is the survival of earlier material [CGL] [109].
Conclusion
The exploration of language through Saussure’s lens reveals that while it may appear stable, it is in a constant state of evolution shaped by time and social forces. As a social institution, language relies on the collective practices of its community to maintain continuity, yet this same social nature allows for gradual shifts over time. The inherent arbitrariness of the relationship between signifier and signified means that, although these associations become fixed, they remain open to change as new generations use and adapt their mode of communication. Saussure’s diagrams illustrate how time introduces changes into the stable framework of language, leading to inevitable evolution. Ultimately, stability and change in linguistics are not contradictory but interdependent. It is the continuous and stable structure of language that allows it to adapt, ensuring its survival across generations while evolving to meet new communicative needs. This balance between continuity and change is fundamental to the nature of the system.
Bibliography
Saussure, Ferdinand de. Course in General Linguistics. Translated and annotated by Roy Harris. With a new introduction by Roy Harris. Bloomsbury, 2013.
Saussure, Ferdinand de. Cours de linguistique générale. Edited by Charles Bally and Albert Sechehaye, with the collaboration of Albert Riedlinger. Arbre d’Or, Genève, 2005.
Comments
Post a Comment