Saussure (Ferdinand de Saussure)

Ferdinand de Saussure was a Swiss linguist who revolutionized the study of language by focusing on how words and meanings are interconnected within systems. He proposed that language is a structured system of signs, where each word's meaning depends on its difference from other words, rather than on any inherent connection to things in the real world. He emphasized that language is a social product, constantly changing, and that understanding language requires analyzing its underlying structures rather than just individual words or speech. His ideas laid the foundation for modern linguistics and semiotics, the study of signs and communication.