RAHAJENG (13-15)

13. Explain de Saussure’s distinction between linguistic realities and identities.

- There are no different between linguistic realities and identities, according to de Saussure,
when we discuss linguistic identities we are saying that the “same” linguistic item recurs. He
noted that the word is etymologically related the Latin passion, “step”. But diachonic
considerations woll not solve the problem. He then studied what we are to consider a
synchronic reality, that is something we discover in a language rather than something we
impose upon it.

14. Explain the analogy of the chessman as an instance of value and give an original example.
- The analogy of the chessman as a reality in the game of chess, if we made restrict ourselves
to this particular piece, of this particular shape, made of this particular material? Under
these conditions we cannot, since the by its material make-up outside he conditions of the
game and its square it means nothing to the player; it becomes a real, concrete element
only when endowed with value and wedded to it. The “value” of chessman consist in its
relations to the other pieces and on the moves it makes, whoch are different from those of
the other pieces. A value, therefor, can be exchanged for something of a different nature, of
which it is said to be the value for example money and bread or American dollars in
comparison to British pounds.

15. Distinguish signification, content and value.

- “Signification” is defined as “the association of a given sound with a given sound with a
given concept,” and, therefore, essentially implies the traditional notion of referential
meaning. The linguistic “value” of a term is established by studying the other terms of the
linguistic system, to which it is opposable on both the paradigmatic and syntagmatic axes.
The “content” of a term can be considered the sum of the signification and the value. In the
passage cited above de Saussure spoke of signification in positive terms, but of value, which
he was trying to distinguish from signification.