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Article published In: Historiographia Linguistica
Vol. 42:1 (2015) ► pp.85–105

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Iconicity in Saussure’s Linguistic Work

And why it does not contradict the arbitrariness of the sign

 | University of Edinburgh
Published online: 26 May 2015
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https://doi.org/10.1075/hl.42.1.05jos
Summary
Ferdinand de Saussure (1857–1913) is routinely criticized for denying the possibility of iconicity in language through his principle of the arbitrariness of linguistic signs. Yet two of his articles, one from the beginning (1877) and the other from the end (1912) of his career, propose analyses of the development of certain Latin verbs and adjectives in which iconicity plays a key role. Saussure did not dismiss iconicity, but limited its sphere of application to the relationship between signs and their referents, which falls outside linguistics as he defined it. Hence iconicity does not contradict arbitrariness, which applies to the relationship between signifier and signified within the linguistic sign.
Résumé
Ferdinand de Saussure (1857–1913) est fréquemment la cible de critiques selon lesquelles son principe de l’arbitraire du signe aurait nié la possibilité de l’iconicité dans le langage. Toutefois, deux de ses articles, l’un du début (1877), l’autre de la fin (1912) de sa carrière, proposent des analyses du développement de certains verbes et adjectifs latins où l’iconicité aurait joué un rôle important. Saussure ne rejeta pas l’iconicité, mais limita son champ d’application au lien entre les signes et leurs référents, un lien qui se situe en dehors de la linguistique telle qu’il la définit. Donc l’iconicité ne contredit pas l’arbitraire, qui s’applique spécifiquement au lien entre le signifiant et le signifié à l’intérieur du signe linguistique.
Zusammenfassung
Ferdinand de Saussure (1857–1913) wird oftmals kritisiert, weil er die Möglichkeit der Ikonizität der Sprache in Abrede stelle dadurch, dass er auf dem Prinzip der Arbitrarität des sprachlichen Zeichens beharre. Jedoch in zwei Aufsätzen, einem vom Beginn (1877) und einem am Ende seiner Laufbahn (1912), schlägt er Analysen in der Entwicklung gewisser lateinischer Verben und Adjektive vor, in denen die Ikonizität eine zentrale Rolle spielen. Saussure verneinte die Ikonizität der Sprache nicht grundsätzlich, begrenzte jedoch deren Gebrauch zum Verhältnis zwischen Zeichen und deren Referenten, das er jedoch als außerhalb der Sprachwissenschaft wie er sie definierte, betrachtete. Daher widersprach die Ikonizität nicht der Arbitrarität des sprachlichen Zeichens, die sich auf das Verhältnis zwischen signifiant und signifié innerhalb des sprachlichen Zeichens bezieht.
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