Saussure then elaborates his theory of the linguistic sign into an equation that closely explains his thoughts in a rather scientific way where the concept becomes the ‘signifié’ (or signifier) and the image acoustique the ‘signifiant’ (or signified) altogether they make up the sign (see equation below). Saussure
explores this theory even more when he separates the SIGN into two characteristics, the first one is based on the idea in which the bond between the signified and the signifier is totally ARBITRARY as there are no natural or logical reason between a particular concept and its image acoustique; the different languages in the world prove this. A mouse in English would be known as ‘Mouse’ whereas in French it would be known as ‘Souris’ these terms will solely be understood or recognize by the conventions we live in and this is what Saussure means by ‘le signe est arbitraire’ (Saussure, 1972, p.100). His second characteristic shows that the signifier that forms the SIGN (written or spoken word) can be measure as ‘Linear’ as it exists in time where spoken and written language operate in a linear sequence. When speaking, words are arranged one after the other because two words cannot be expressed at the same time which is similar to written language where words come one at a time in a linear way, we then notice as a result that the connection of words within a sentence for instance shapes the meaning. In Saussure’s philosophical analysis of language as a system or structure, by looking at what is further behind the simple verbal language it is evident that he reached his aim of taking linguistic further as a scientific study into this new idea of ‘Semiologie’ (also known as the science of signs) although he would like to research and elaborate further more the scientific structure of language as he is very interested in semiology.
Following Saussure’s ground in linguistics and the study of language, the Russian Roman Jakobson (1896-1982) establishes new ideas on verbal communication in which he attempts to evaluate closely another aspect of linguistics that differs from Saussure’s research. Having been honoured as Co-founder of the Moscow Linguistic Circle in 1915 and after many investigations, Jakobson finally establishes a Closing Statement: Linguistics and Poetics delivered as a lecture for the first time in 1958, his approach is new as he analyses the process in the act of communication in which he separates his ideas into six basic factors of communication that relates to their respective functions. The similarity with Saussure is that Jokobson’s main attempt is to break down the different ways communication function within society in a scientific way. All six factors are implicated in the use of speech that is composed of a direct link between the Addresser who is the speaker and the Addressee who will be listening, a Message will be sent which is here the verbal act, the Context would describe the general subject of the message, a sort of Contact will be involved to allow the communication to happen through physical channel or other types of connection and finally a common Code is needed for the understanding of both person such as the same language, shared culture or prior knowledge. Jakobson then argues that each one of these factors have their corresponding functions allowing them to shape a unique conversation containing different aspects within communication. The Emotive function would relate to the adresser’s self-expression whereas the Conative will be focused on the addressee, the Poetic function would reflect on the use of creative language, Referential would simply be the contextual information, the link keeping contact going would be Phatic and finally Metalingual will be the clarification of meaning (see diagram below, Jakobson, 1958, p.353/357). Therefore it has been demonstrated that Jakobson has created this theory mainly detailing the process of verbal communication which is a different approach of language compared to the way Saussure sees le Signe Linguistique.
On the other hand the French cultural theorist Roland Barthes (1915-1980) literally uses and expands on Saussure’s SIGN theory as he reacts on Saussure’s ‘Semiologie’ to build upon it which becomes the ‘Mythologie’. It is made of fifty-four journalistic articles on a variety of subjects for ‘Les Lettres Nouvelles’ and was finally published as a book in 1957. His aim in constructing a general analysis of codes was heavily influenced by both Jakobson and Saussure’s work in which he elaborates the key concept of the ‘mythe’. We find in Bartes’s ‘mythe’ the exact same three elements of Saussure’s SIGN, it is composed of a signifier and a signified that makes up the SIGN however there is a variance where Barthes evaluates a secondary system from which Saussure’s SIGN as a whole becomes a signifier itself to form another level in the sign system (see diagram on next page). ‘Le mythe
est un systeme de communication, c’est un message’ (Barthes, 1957, p. 215) Barthes’s theory is justified by Saussure’s first level of the SIGN in which the concept and image acoustique form the meaning of a word or also called the denotation, whereas the second level of the SIGN uses the denotation of the sign and associates an extra meaning to the same word which is known as connotation. For instance a ‘rose’ is the sound R-O-S-E linked to the image of a long dark green stem and vivid red petals that are gloomed which makes the SIGN, however the mythe would add to the basic denotation of it, whereby a rose is also known as a sign of romance and passion; therefore this first SIGN became a second level signifier for a new sign whose signified is now love, heart, affection or seduction for instance. I would argue that Barthes’s approach is brave as he openly builds on Saussure’s work, he is almost challenging Saussure’s simplistic theory of the SIGNE LINGUISTIQUE.
As a conclusion it has been demonstrated how Saussure, Barthes and Jakobson all researched linguistic theories in numerous ways to explore the different aspects of communication in which Saussure focused on language and the way it has been constructed whereas Jakobsen concentrated on the factors and functions of verbal communication, in parallel Barthes built on Saussure’s theory of semiology to create a different idea in which language can be studied further within different meanings. Barthes’s hypothesis used Jacobson’s idea in the mythe as it was described to be a characteristic of communication however I would argue that Saussure was the main influence whose thoughts were used as the root of study of language and opened the channel to further research on linguistics, in which both Jakobsen and Barthes expanded the investigation in their own ways by focussing on different aspects.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Ferdinand de Saussure, Cours de Linguistique Generale, Paris, Payot, 1972
- Roman Jakobson, Closing Statement: Linguistics and Poetics, 1958
- Barthes, Mythologies, Paris: Éditions du Seuil, 1957, p. 215
- Dr Ruth Hemus Power Point presentation in Moodle
