Return to Saussure

Introduction The inaugural two-hour lecture by Saussure at the University of Geneva was filled with groundbreaking information presented from a fresh perspective. While grappling with the challenge of defining linguistics and the concept of language from within the science itself, he proposes an external perspective. This involves establishing boundaries by examining what falls outside its domain. Saussure advocates defining linguistics by understanding its limits in relation to other sciences, providing a peripheral demarcation of its scope and unique characteristics. In the following sections, we closely analyze the nexus Saussure establishes between linguistics and other sciences such as ethnology, philology, psychology, logic, and sociology. Our exploration begins with the intriguing intersection of linguistics and ethnology, where Saussure's teachings shed light on the profound connections between language and identity. Linguistics and ethnology Wilhelm von Humboldt ob...