Saussure and linguistics

While reading Barry’s chapter on structuralism I couldn’t help but notice that there appears to be an emphasis on language. The point I’m going to try and prove may be off course and not relate to the reading at all, but it was the first thing that came to mind while I was reading.

Ferdinand de Saussure’s views on language reminded me of an interview that CNN did with Frank Luntz. Luntz works primarily with the Republican Party, but political views aside, his take on what phrases to use and not to use is very interesting. He recently wrote the book; Words that Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear. He tells politicians to eliminate the usage of words that tend to have negative connotations in the sphere of politics, and replace them with words that have similar meaning but sound more positive.

It’s the style of discourse that applies meaning to words and phrases. For instance, an example from Time Magazine’s article about Luntz reveals that using the word “investment” in place of “spending” is more appealing. The words do not have the exact same meaning, but when politicians are speaking with voters, the word “spending” could be connoted with wasteful spending and higher taxes. Whereas, the word “investment” implies that the taxpayers money will be wisely handled and accrue overtime.

This ties in (I think) with Saussure because of his views on linguistic structures. He said that the meanings we give to words are arbitrary, relational, and that language constitutes our world. The example I have given above relates mostly to how language constitutes our world and meaning is designated by the human mind. Language doesn’t reflect the world we live in, but is a composition of it. There is nothing outside of language that can do this.

One of the conclusions I’ve made is that: the meaning behind a word influences how one perceives it, but people have preconceived ideas that also shape the meanings of words. In reference to Luntz, a word that may yield a negative meaning can be replaced by a word with a similar meaning that may be perceived as positive.

Saussure’s ideas about linguistics clarified, for me, how language works. I can see how language works independently, but now I’m unsure of how it works within structuralism.