Course in General Linguistics

Ferdinand de Saussure is commonly regarded as one of the fathers of 20th Century Linguistics. His lectures, posthumously published as the Course in General Linguistics ushered in the structuralist mode which marked a key turning point in modern thought. Philosophers such as Jacques Derrida and Roland Barthes, psychoanalysts such as Jacques Lacan, the anthropologist ClaudeLevi-Strauss and linguists such as Noam Chomsky all found an important influence for their work in the pages of Saussure's text. Published 100 years after Saussure's death, this new edition of Roy Harris's authoritative translation is now available in the Bloomsbury Revelations series with a substantial new introduction exploring Saussure's contemporary influence and importance.

Saussure's masterwork and one of the most important works of 20th Century thought.

Introduction to the Bloomsbury Revelations EditionPreface to the First EditionPreface to the Second EditionPreface to the Third EditionEditor's Introduction, Roy HarrisIntroduction1. A Brief Survey of the History of Linguistics2. Data and Aims of Linguistics: Connexions with Related Sciences3. The Object of Study4. Linguistics of Language Structure and Linguistics of Speech5. Internal and External Elements of a Language6. Representation of a Language by Writing7. Physiological PhoneticsAppendix: Principles of Physiological Phonetics1. Sound Types2. Sounds in Spoken SequencesPart One: General Principles1. Nature of the Linguistic Sign2. Invariability and Variability of the Sign3. Static Linguistics and Evolutionary LinguisticsPart Two: Synchronic Linguistics1. General Observations2. Concrete Entities of a Language3. Identities, Realities, Values4. Linguistic Value5. Syntagmatic Relations and Associative Relations6. The Language Mechanism7. Grammar and Its Subdivisions8. Abstract Entities in GrammarPart Three: Diachronic Linguistics1. General Observations2. Sound Changes3. Grammatical Consequences of Phonetic Evolution4. Analogy5. Analogy and Evolution6. Popular Etymology7. Agglutination8. Diachronic Units,Identities and RealitiesAppendicesPart Four: Geographical Linguistics1. On the Diversity of Languages2. Geographical Diversity: Its Complexity3. Causes of Geographical Diversity4. Propagation of Linguistic WavesPart Five: Questions of Retrospective Linguistics Conclusion1. The Two Perspectives of Diachronic Linguistics2. Earliest Languages and Prototypes3. Reconstructions4. Linguistic Evidence in Anthropology and Prehistory5. Language Families and Linguistic TypesIndex