Structuralism
Abstract
Structuralism began with Ferdinand de Saussure's Cours de Linguistique Générale , in which he studied the structure of language and formulated a theory about it. The most basic part of language is the sign, which he divided into the signified and the signifier, two distinct elements that maintain a relationship. This fundamental separation appears, in one form or another, in the ideas of all structuralists. Also originating from Saussure is the notion that a word only acquires meaning in relation to a context, just as the subject only acquires identity in relation to the Other in Lacan's theory.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Literary Theory and Cultural Hermeneutics
Psychoanalysis
Philosophy
and Politics
Historical Linguistics and Language Studies
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Routledge eBooks
- Pages
- 27–31
- Publication date
- 10 February 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Book chapter