Saussure said that language is "a system of pure values which are determined by nothing except the momentary arrangements of its terms." (Course in General Linguistics, 1916). Discuss amongst each other.

[IFerrier]

[Chianyul]

I think what Ferdinand de Saussure is saying is that language is a temporarily man-made representation of "pure values" or the actual object/emotion/action/thing. Language that describes the object/emotion/action/thing may change over time, but the object/emotion/action/thing itself will not. For example, just 50 years ago, the Chinese word for dragon was "龍", and after now the word becomes "龙". The character changes but the true value behind the character does not. The reason for the changes in the words may vary, which is why Saussure calls them "momentary arrangements", because the words are just temporarily and artificially made for the convenience of communication.

[Matej Vucak]

But isn't he saying that the pure values themselves are determined by this momentary arrangement of terms? I think that what Saussure is trying to say is that the things (values) a language can express is determined by the words the language possesses  I agree that the objects/emotions/actions/things that a language can express don't change over time but I think Saussure is saying that some of these values can become inaccessible if the words for them disappear.

 You mentioned the Chinese word for dragon changing. I am not familiar with your language but is there some meaning or connotation present in "龍" that is not present in "龙"? 

[IFerrier]

Where does grammar fit into all this?

On Wednesday, October 31, 2012 7:57:00 AM UTC+1, IFerrier wrote:

[Amir.F]

Well, I think that the pure value of the System that Saussure is referring to is not shown until it is found. Meaning that the objects/emotions/actions/things that a language holds within its heart are never extracted without a force. This force is the way we humans think of language and using it in order to communicate and or express ourselves. However, I agree that the values a language can express is determined by the words it possesses. But When you said that the objects/emotions/actions/things that a language can express always stay the same, In my idea it does and does not in fact. Because as the time moves forward the meaning of the same words become different and thus they are never understood the same way that they were 100 years ago for example. But this is not the case for all languages and for all words, but this is the case for most of the languages now and it also varies culturally. 

[Arafat Hasnain]

Language is a form of communication through which people express their thoughts, emotions etc to other people. Now even though language exists between animals too, human beings can be regarded as the species who have perfected the art of language. Since language deals with ideas, values language is often determined in the context in which it is used. So clearly the meanings of the words are bound to change. For instance, the word nice which now is and adjective for kind was used as an adjective for someone who is foolish or ignorant. The word has clearly changed over time and has completely changed its meaning. Grammar is no exception. The so called rules for language are also bound to change to reflect the human psyche. So Saussure realized that our history and past determine the language we use and perhaps even how we think and socialize.

[Cole Cabibbo]

Well I think Sassure means that language depends on the POSITION of the terms, because without a proper and consistent syntax the language would make no sense.

On Friday, November 2, 2012 12:30:03 AM UTC+1, Matej Vucak wrote: