Ferdinand de Saussure

High school (ages 12+)
Thinking & Learning

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/ferdinand-de-saussure

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Ferdinand de Saussure born?November 26, 1857
2. Where was Ferdinand de Saussure born?Geneva, Switzerland
3. When did Ferdinand de Saussure die?February 22, 1913 (age 55)
4. Who was Ferdinand de Saussure?He was a Swiss linguist born in Geneva on November 26, 1857. He changed how people study and think about language.
5. What is a linguistic sign?A linguistic sign has two parts: the signifier, which is the sound or written form, and the signified, which is the idea or concept it represents.

Langue: The abstract, social system of language shared by a community, distinct from individual speech acts ('parole').
Arbitrary Nature of the Sign: The principle that the connection between a word's form (signifier) and its meaning (signified) is based on convention, not inherent resemblance.
Relational Meaning: The idea that a word's meaning is determined by its differences from and relationships with other words in the language system.
Structuralism: An intellectual movement that analyzes language and culture as systems of interconnected, interdependent elements.