Saussurean

Saussurean refers to the ideas of the Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure and the theoretical approach derived from his work. In linguistics and semiotics, Saussurean analysis treats language as a self-contained system of signs in which meaning arises from the structural relations among signs rather than from direct links to the outside world.

Central to Saussurean theory are the concepts of langue and parole, the distinction between the system of language (langue) and individual speech acts (parole); and the linguistic sign, composed of signifier (the sound pattern or form) and signified (the concept). The relationship between signifier and signified is arbitrary and defined by difference; the value of a sign comes from its position within the network of signs (différance). The study of language, especially in a synchronically oriented description, emphasizes structure and function within the system rather than historical evolution alone (diachronic change).

Saussure's ideas laid the groundwork for structuralism in linguistics and the broader humanities; they influenced semiotics and literary theory, including figures such as Barthes and Levi-Strauss, and informed later debates in post-structuralism. The term Saussurean is often used to describe approaches that prioritize system, relations, and sign function over referential or innate explanations.

Saussurean theory is frequently contrasted with generative grammar and with later functionalist and cognitive approaches. Critics have argued that its emphasis on abstract structures can overlook use and cognition, though proponents contend it provides essential tools for analyzing language and symbolic systems.