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The concept of the sign. AI image “ For the community of language users, the synchronic aspect (l'aspect synchronique) is the one and only reality ”. Course in General Linguistics. Introduction In Structure, Sign and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences , Jacques Derrida argues that “ the concept of the sign ” has always been governed by a structure of referral: “sign-of, signifier referring to a signified” (Derrida, 1978, p. 281). On this basis, he aligns thinkers as distant as Aristotle, Augustine of Hippo, and Ferdinand de Saussure within a shared configuration governed by what he calls the metaphysics of presence . The claim concerns more than intellectual history; it posits a structural logic that persists beneath doctrinal variation. This article questions whether such continuity can be sustained once Saussure’s technical redefinition of the sign is taken seriously. Saussure’s signe is not simply another version of the classical Aristotle’s σημείον and Augustin...

Signifier? AI image   Introduction Understanding the dynamics between the signifier and the signified, as expounded in Course in General Linguistics (CGL), forms a cornerstone of linguistic theory. Saussure’s depiction of the sign—represented through diagrams illustrating the intimate relation between signified and signifier—lays the foundation for his project. Lacan’s reinterpretation of these theories, however, especially his claims regarding the primacy of the signifier and the notion of pure signifiers , introduces a set of complexities that demand careful scrutiny. This article examines Lacan’s selective reading of Saussure, assessing its implications for linguistic theory and psychoanalytic thought alike. Understanding the Sign in Part One of the CGL In Part One of the CGL , General Principles , Chapter 1, §1 Sign, signification, signal [CGL] [97], Saussure presents his well-known diagram of the sign. Here, the signified rests atop the signifier within a circle divide...