Ferdinand de Saussure

About the author

Ferdinand de Saussure (1857–1913) was a Swiss linguist, semiotician, and philosopher whose ideas reshaped the study of language and laid the groundwork for major developments in both linguistics and semiotics across the 20th century. Born in Geneva, he is widely regarded as one of the founders of modern linguistics and, alongside Charles Sanders Peirce, a principal founder of semiotics. His theoretical framework extended well beyond language, leaving a marked influence on philosophy, psychoanalysis, psychology, sociology, and anthropology — a legacy that continues to inform contemporary approaches to the phenomenon of language.