Sociology and Criminology-Open Access
Open Access

Abstract

Structuralism

Jvaad B and Masoud JN

Each word in language is a sign and language operates as a system of signs. Saussure in his linguistic analysis regards two components for a sign: a phonic component, which is called “signifier” and a mental and conceptual component called “signified”. Signified is not one thing, but a concept of a thing, a concept that comes to our mind when we speak the signifier. Therefore, signifier forms the material aspect of the language. Any spoken and written meaningful form is signifier. He distinguished between language and speech and mentioned that language is the system or structure of a language. Language is a series of linguistic rules that people must obey to communicate. The use of this system by people in their life is speech. The same distinction is suggested by structural sociologists between structure and event. In other words, they have separated the abstract systems of rules from single objective events occurring in the systems. The second distinction by Saussure is synchronic and diachronic axes. Synchronism exists at a given moment. Saussure was in favor of synchronism. In general, structuralism is synchronic.