Saussure as a linguist and Wittgenstein as a philosopher of language are arguably the two most important figures in the development of 20th-century linguistic thought. Each was a revloutionary within his own discipline. Each had a far-reaching influence outside his own discipline. Each has given rise, idependently, to a large corpus of interpretation, translation, exegesis and criticism. Surprisingly, however, little attempt has been made hitherto to interrelate these two thinkers or make a detailed comparison of their views about language. By pointing out what their ideas have in common. In...
Saussure as a linguist and Wittgenstein as a philosopher of language are arguably the two most important figures in the development of 20th-century li...
In Signs of Writing, Roy Harris re-examines basic questions about writing that have long been obscured by the traditional assumption that writing is merely a visual substitute for speech. By treating writing as an independent mode of communication, based on the use of spatial relations to connect events separated in time, the author shows how musical, mathematical and other forms of writing obey the same principles as verbal writing. These principles, he argues, apply to texts of all kinds: a sonnet, a symphonic score, a signature on a cheque and a supermarket label. Moreover, they apply...
In Signs of Writing, Roy Harris re-examines basic questions about writing that have long been obscured by the traditional assumption that writing is m...
In the 19th century linguistics had not yet become the highly technical subject which it was to be in the century following. Debates on linguistic issues could still be followed by non-specialists and discussed in terms accessible to the educated public. This public in turn did not hesitate to make up its own mind about the questions put before it by linguists. Hence it is not surprising to find general periodicals devoting considerably more attention to language, particularly in the latter half of the period, than has probably ever been the case before or since.
In the 19th century linguistics had not yet become the highly technical subject which it was to be in the century following. Debates on linguistic iss...
By introducing the reader to the main issues and themes that have determined the development of the Western linguistic tradition, an evolution of linguistic thought quickly becomes apparent. Each chapter in this accessible book contains a short extract from a landmark' text followed by a commentary which places the text in its social and intellectual context.The authors, who consider writers from Aristotle to Caxton to Saussure, have fully revised the original edition ofthis text. Complete with two new chapters on Bishop John Wilkins and Frege, a revised preface and updated bibliography, this...
By introducing the reader to the main issues and themes that have determined the development of the Western linguistic tradition, an evolution of ling...
