THE DEVELOPMENT OF LANGUAGE

MODERNISM In the early 20° century many Victorian doubts and fears about society and man’s place in the universe were confirmed and many optimistic hopes were disappointed. Science and industry  not produce a better world European selfconfidence destroyed  U.S.A. and Russia replaced France and Britain Economic depression  goverments control state economy  Welfare State Marx  The Communist Manifesto  optimistic secure view of the future The only sure point of references of any individual was himself.

Man feels out of palce without divine principles and reference point. The only sure point of references of any individual was himself. Albert Einstein theory of relativity  space and time did not exist as separate Henri Bergson  rejected conventional ideas of time Sigmund Freud  people’s behaviour depends very largely on the unconscious part of their minds. Carl Jung  symbolic meanings

FERDINAND DE SAUSSURE ( ) Cours de Linguistique generale  basis of structuralism and semiotics Nothing authoritative about Saussure’ s theory He developed a theory of synchronic language  the spoken word (signifier) and object (signified) is arbitrary  language semiotic system Meaning  relantionship between signs  constructed trhough difference, binary pairs

THE SIGN For Saussure sign is the basic element of language Charles Sanders Peirce isolated 3 different types of signs: 1.The symbolic sign  word symbolises its referent 2.The indexical sign  signpost pointing in a certain direction 3.The iconic sign  it resembles its object but like a picture The sign contains both its signifying element and its meaninguìful content. Signifier  sensible part of a verbal sign Signified  interpretation added to the signifier No relantioship between signifier/signified  it is arbitrary

Before Saussure  Diachronic linguistic  charting changes through time. Saussure invented synchronic linguistic  language system based on signs «A language is a system of differences with no positive terms»

STRUCTURALISM Structuralism  wide range of discourses that study structures of signification Map the cultures scientifically through a structuralist methodology ROLAND BARTHES: - proclaimed the death of the author - is relatively unimportant to the process of writing.

JACQUES DERRIDA : - used Saussune’s insights to develop Deconstruction - he focused on the binary pairs. Meaning is developed by the term differance Subjectivity and presance Privileging of speech and presence logocentirsm

POSTSTRUCTURALISM Poststructuralism  meaning is costantely slipping from one sign to the next Signifies do not produce signified  endless chain of signifies

LACAN : Applied Seassure’s ideas to psychoanalysis  his theory is not antology Distinction between metaphor and metonimy Function to suppress Function to combine The unoconscious is structured like a language

MICHEL FOCAULT  genealogist He used the terms genealogy or archeology of knowledge  focused on ruptures Discouse  medium troug which power is expressed THOMAS KUHN  paradigm to describe the foucalidian discoverses EDWARD SAID  analyze Orientalism

JAKOBSON Combination Selection / substitution metonimy metaphor dispiacenentcondensation