Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios

Bachelor Program in English Language Teaching

LINGUISTICS

Name: Dayana Andrea Valverde Nova Date: 19/10/2021

STRUCTURALISM

From the readings: Structuralism and linguistic sign in the virtual room (week 10)

DEFINE:

1. Structuralism

2. Principles of structuralism
1. Languages should first be studied as systems, and the relations constituting a language system.
2. Languages should first be studied from a synchronic point of view.
3. Language is an autonomous, self-contained system, but it does not exclude cross-linguistic similarities not the
existence of language universals.
4. Meaning is a inherent aspect of the language system, not reducible to external factors or reference.
5. Language is not a substance but rather a from or, more generally, a structure.

3. Langage( langue, lengua )

Language: Is the ability that allows each of us to communicate and interact with other people, is a universal capacity in
human beings, is an organized system where each element occupies a specific place and it an expression of thought
refers to ability.
Langage: A French term introduced by Ferdinand de Saussure to refer to the human biological faculty of speech. It is
distinguished in his approached from langue, the language system of a speech community.
Langue: Denotes a system of internalized, shared rules governing national language’s vocabulary, grammar, and sound
system.
4. Parole
Designates actual oral and written communication by a member or members of a particular speech community.
5. Synchrony
Language are studied at a theoretic pint in time: 1. Describes a “state” pf language, 2. Disregarding whatever changes
might be taking place.
6. Diachrony
Language are studied from pint of view, of their historical development for example, the changes which have taken place
between Old and Modern English could be described in phonological.
7. Signified (significado)
The mental concept, Saussure a sing establishes a relation between a concept and a sound (or a series of sounds
concept).
8. Signifier( significante)
The physical existence (sound, word, image). Acoustic image, or the graphic representation.
9. Arbitrariness

10. Motivation
The casual relation that causes a natural resemblance between the signifier and signified. The great majority of English
words are non-motivated since that are conventional and arbitrary symbols according to Saussure. However, that can be
known as motivated.
11. Internal and external linguistics
Internal linguistics refers to the rules and structures of language. External linguistics refers to external factors such as
history of language, society, politics, dialects, traditions etc.
Everything that relates to the geographical spreading of languages and dialectal splitting belongs to external linguistics.