A linguistic system is a series of differences of sound combined with a series of differences of ideas...
Ferdinand De SaussureRead
Linguistics will have to recognise laws operating universally in language, and in a strictly rational manner, separating general phenomena from those restricted to one branch of languages or another.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Linguistics must identify universal principles in language, distinguishing them from language-specific features.
Ferdinand De Saussure emphasizes the importance of recognizing universal laws that govern all languages, calling for a rational and analytical approach to the study of linguistics. This distinction between general linguistic phenomena and those specific to individual languages is crucial for a deeper understanding of language as a whole.
Themes
LinguisticsLanguageUniversal LawsPhenomenaAnalysis
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture on linguistics, one might use this quote to highlight the importance of a scientific approach to language study.
More from Ferdinand De Saussure
All quotes βPsychologically our thought-apart from its expression in words-is only a shapeless and indistinct mass.
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Any psychology of sign systems will be part of social psychology - that is to say, will be exclusively social; it will involve the same psychology as is applicable in the case of languages.
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Written forms obscure our view of language. They are not so much a garment as a disguise.
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Speech has both an individual and a social side, and we cannot conceive of one without the other.
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Everyone, left to his own devices, forms an idea about what goes on in language which is very far from the truth.
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