{"product_id":"saussure-9780199695652","title":"Saussure","description":"In a language there are only differences without positive terms. Whether we take the signified or the signifier, the language contains neither ideas nor sounds that pre-exist the linguistic system, but only conceptual differences and phonic differences issuing from this system. (From the\u003cbr\u003eposthumous \u003cem\u003eCourse in General Linguistics\u003c\/em\u003e, 1916.) \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eNo one becomes as famous as Saussure without both admirers and detractors reducing them to a paragraph's worth of ideas that can be readily quoted, debated, memorized, and examined. One can argue the ideas expressed above - that language is composed of a system of acoustic oppositions (the\u003cbr\u003esignifier) matched by social convention to a system of conceptual oppositions (the signified) - have in some sense become Saussure, while the human being, in all his complexity, has disappeared. In the first comprehensive biography of Ferdinand de Saussure, John Joseph restores the full character\u003cbr\u003eand history of a man who is considered the founder of modern linguistics and whose ideas have influenced literary theory, philosophy, cultural studies, and virtually every other branch of humanities and the social sciences. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThrough a far-reaching account of Saussure's life and the time in which he lived, we learn about the history of Geneva, of Genevese educational institutions, of linguistics, about Saussure's ancestry, about his childhood, his education, the fortunes of his relatives, and his personal life in Paris.\u003cbr\u003eJohn Joseph intersperses all these discussions with accounts of Saussure's research and the courses he taught highlighting the ways in which knowing about his friendships and family history can help us understand not only his thoughts and ideas but also his utter failure to publish any major work\u003cbr\u003eafter the age of twenty-one.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e John E. Joseph\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Oxford University Press, USA\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/30\/2012\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 800\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 2.82lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.80h x 6.90w x 2.30d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780199695652\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 12\/01\/2012\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJohn E. Joseph\u003c\/strong\u003e is Professor of Applied Linguistics and Head of Linguistics and English Language at the University of Edinburgh. His books include \u003cem\u003eLanguage and Politics\u003c\/em\u003e (2006), \u003cem\u003eLanguage and Identity\u003c\/em\u003e (2004) and, with Nigel Love and Talbot J. Taylor, \u003cem\u003eLandmarks in Linguistic Thought II: The Western\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eTradition in the Twentieth Century\u003c\/em\u003e (2001). He is also the editor of \u003cem\u003eLanguage and Politics: Major Themes in English Studies, 4 Vl\u003c\/em\u003e (2010) and (with Talbot J. Taylor) of the journal \u003cem\u003eLanguage \u0026amp; Communication\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThis title is not returnable\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Oxford University Press, USA","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":40143906603123,"sku":"9.7802E+12","price":58.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0555\/9255\/0515\/products\/img_119b2eb3-ca9d-4185-8478-723d561edffa.jpg?v=1654608358","url":"https:\/\/bookstorenmore.com\/en-de\/products\/saussure-9780199695652","provider":"Bookstore N More","version":"1.0","type":"link"}