SAUSSURE, FERDINAND DE


Meaning of SAUSSURE, FERDINAND DE in English

born Nov. 26, 1857, Geneva, Switz.

died Feb. 22, 1913, Geneva

Swiss linguist.

Though his only written work appeared while he was still a university student, Saussure became very influential as a teacher, principally at the University of Geneva (1901–13). Two of his students reconstructed lecture notes and other materials as Course in General Linguistics (1916), often considered the starting point of 20th-century linguistics . He saw language as a structured system that may be approached both as it exists at a particular time and as it changes over time, and he formalized principles and methods of study for each approach. His concepts may be regarded as the beginning of structuralism .

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia.      Краткая энциклопедия Британика.