Introduction
The theory of signs proposes that a word never has a particular natural meaning and only acquires one when the people using it come together and agree that the combination of sounds represented by the word indicates a certain object or idea. This, according to Ferdinand de Saussure creates a system of connections comprising a signifier (vocal or graphic representation of an idea or object) and a signified (the idea or object itself) which together make a sign. Saussure also suggested that the representation of an object or an idea does not in any way define it (68-73). It is common knowledge that for the learning process to be seen to take place, people must constantly interact with each other thereby sharing knowledge amongst themselves. This paper, however, seeks to use Saussure’s theory of the sign to illustrate that human beings do not learn from each other but instead share information that is common amongst them.
The commonsensical position that an individual knows about a certain object or idea and then proceeds to inform another person of the existence of the said object/idea has been complicated by Saussure’s semiotics theory to a great extent. First, according to Saussure, two people have to come together and agree that a certain combination of sounds represents a particular idea (68-73). In essence, according to this proposition, an individual cannot come up with a certain word for a particular thing and then prompt this word upon other people to use when referring to the thing. People have to sit together and come to the settlement that all other combinations of sounds could not.
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represent the thing that has been placed in front of them and therefore settle on a particular word. From this theory, we can therefore deduce that there is no way people can learn from each other because for communication to take place in whatever language, the two parties involved must have prior knowledge of the meaning that a given combination of sounds represents.
Saussure also proposed that in language there are only differences and no positives (69-70); meaning that if a new object or idea is discovered and a word has to be coined to refer to it, people have to look at other words that already exist and work at creating a word that differs from these others. It would therefore be wrong for one to assume that people learn about the world from each other because according to Saussure, new things are learned as long as one knows other things that are different from this new idea. In practice then, people are required to have similar knowledge of other ideas before they can learn new things.
Saussure’s theory of the sign also proposed that the meaning of language itself is generated by the system of language itself and not from the users of that language. This is true because words have no definite links to objects or ideas that they refer to and therefore the meaning of a word (signifier) can change from time to time without affecting the thing that it was initially meant to refer to (signified). With this in mind, it is evident that individuals don’t learn how to communicate in a given language from other people but rather the communication process itself creates
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Meaning for particular combinations of sounds which then the people adopt as a language.
Saussure’s distinction between langue and parole also served to exclude the contribution of human beings to language (72). In an actual sense, he almost seemed to support the idea that language existed as an individual entity and that human beings were just avenues through which it could be expressed. This again made the rational idea that human beings learn from each other a fallacy because based on his findings, all people have a uniform level of knowledge. Therefore, even when we think that a teacher is passing on new knowledge to his/her students, it is not exactly so because for the students to understand him/her, they must first be able to relate all combinations of sounds (words) that are used in the communication process to particular objects or ideas. In this sense, the teacher will just be telling the students what they already know but unlike how it is usually assumed, this knowledge does not exist in the student’s brains but rather within the language itself.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is worth noting that Ferdinand de Saussure was a great linguist whose work cannot be ignored. His semiotic theory encouraged other linguists to disregard the idea that language is an entity occurring on its own and instead embrace the impression that for a language to grow, active participation of the individuals who use it is required. His studies were and are still influential when it comes to explaining the evolution of human language as well as the process of acquisition of knowledge; facts that have been the focus of this paper.
Works Cited
Saussure, Ferdinand. Course in General Linguistics. Ed. Charles Bally, Albert Sechehaye, Albert Riedlinger. Trans. Wade Baskin. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1966; pp. 68-73.