The Centrality of the Linguistic Sign in the Modern Linguistic Lesson

Abstract

          The linguistic sign is central to modern linguistics, being the cornerstone around which De Saussure’s research and many other subsequent researchers’ works revolved. Saussure's dichotomy: langue and parole, and his focus on langue as the subject-matter of the linguistic lesson, emphasize the centrality of the sign and the importance of exploring the underlying linguistic system. Modern linguists’ definitions of language are fundamentally based on the concept of the sign as a system of phonetic signs. Understanding this system necessitates exploration of the nature, components, characteristics, and interrelationships of signs. Consequently, the sign study, constitutes a core element of linguistic research, firmly establishing the sign as foundational to the definition of the linguistic phenomenon.