INTRODUCTION TO LINGUISTIC

A. Definition
• Linguistic is the scientific study of a language.
• Language is a system of arbitrary vocal, visual, symbol used for human communication.
• Language is a creation of the man’s social needs.
• “Language is the mirror of the nation culture.”/ Your soul language and human culture. They are intimately connected or deeply related.

A.1 Language as A system
Language must be systematic.
• That language is uttered or written by us.
• That language has to be arranged systematically.
• That language has to be studied through phonetically, semantically, syntactically.
The benefit of learning language is so that we can understand what other people said or understanding each others. It can also help us to understanding the message that people sent through language.

A.2 Language as An arbitrary
• Selected random without reason. It means that the language select randomly as an agreement of the people in their society (convention; a rule based on general agreement and upheld society at large.).
A.3 Vocal and Visual symbol
• Vocal refers to verbal language used for the hearing people.
• Visual and symbol refers to sign language used for the deaf people.

Languages are consisting of vocal (voice or sound) which has a meaning; so that the people can understand what the opposite said that come out from organ of speech. But when a sound has not a meaning so, it can call as a language though it come out from human organ of speech.
B. Some Figures of Linguistics;
• Ferdinand de Saussure
• Noam Chomsky
• Claude Levi Strauss
• Jaques Derrida
• Jaques La can
• Michel Foucoult
• L. Bloomfield

1) Ferdinan de Saussure is a linguist and he is a founding father of 20th century. His work is best known the title “Course in General Linguistic”. He was born on Switzerland.

The five concept of Ferdinan de Saussure :
1. Langage Langue (Storehouse {the abstract thing})
Language
Parole (speech or mouth)

But according to Ferdinand de Saussure, langue is not an abstract thing but a concrete thing. Because, language also a concrete thing and it come from the langue, so langue is a concrete thing.
2. Signifier and Signified
3. Diachronic and synchronic
4. Syntagmatic and paradigmatic
5. Form and Content
According to Ferdinand de Saussure Language is a reality of human speech or speaks.
• Whatever their district, everywhere their place, whatever their races, whatever their Nation or country, all of human being have a language.
• Storehouse is a sum of word-images stored in the mind of individual.
• A normal person has a “langue” and “parole”.
• Langue means:
Social fact; The words that we said (word-image) are same, because we are from same country and same language. For example: A is come from Indonesia and use bahasa Indonesia and B is same with A, come from Indonesia and use Bahasa Indonesia. So, Word-image are same because of the same language.
Code System; The words written. The langue can be same if in the same language and country. E.g. Langue Indonesia with Langue Indonesia is same.
e.g. Saya come from the root S.A.Y.A. It will be the same way if the others come from the same language or the same langue.
1. If the word-image of someone differences with others because of the different language, so the langue will be difference too.
E.g. Someone who come from American and use English as a language talks with Indonesian who use Bahasa Indonesia as language. So, they can’t understand each others, because of the different langue.
2. The langue is difference and then it can be the same if someone can use their own language and has a skill in other language that he try to use it for talk with the other langue.
E.g. The American people use American as a language and have a skill in English talks with The Indonesian people use Indonesia as a language and have a skill English. So, they are can make a communication each others,
3. The langue can be same if in the one language or same language.
e.g. The Indonesian that use Indonesian language talks with the other Indonesian and use Indonesian language can make an understanding conversation because they have a same language is Indonesian Language, or we can say that they have a same langue, because of the same language.
4. In a something difference can be same and then become a difference.
E.g. Someone in America and has a skill in English talk with someone in Indonesian Language and also has a skill in English can understand each others when they use English, because they has a same langue. But if the Indonesian talks with the American in their language, so the understanding can’t be reached, because they have a difference langue.
• Between langue and parole go on within the same period or time.
Parole means the act of speaking based on individual utterances and a hitudes.
(The word selection, intonation, and dialect each individual are difference.)
Signifier and Signified

Signifier Signified


Relationship
According to Ferdinand de Saussure, Signifier and Signified is made up the matched pair of them. In his works are best known the title “Course of General Linguistic”.
If we talk about signified it means that we talk about signifier too. Because between Signifier and Signified are relationship.
According to Ferdinand de Saussure, the relationship between Signifier and Signified is arbitrary.
The differences between Signifier and Signified are:
1. Signifier means sound pattern.
While, Signified means the idea or thing it represent.
2. Signifier is a simply a jumble of letters.
While, signified is the meaning.
3. Signifier is more stable.
While, signified is static.
4. Signified is varies based on the people condition and the context.

• The language that we learn is a human language.
• The main of linguistic is a language.
• Onomotopoic is an animal sound.
• Language is a habit.

Sound Pattern Idea or thing it represents
• The word “eat” will be difference with the word “tea”.
• The words “eat” and “tea” is the abstract words.
• The word idea of “eat” is replied by Signifier.
So, the idea of “eat” it represent or it represent the imagination of form (signified).So, signifier and signified can be apart each others.
• The word “tea” is only as words (signifier).
• The image of the word “tea” is a signified.

Signifier is more stable Signified is varies


The people the context
Condition
The words can be difference depend on the context of the society in that time.
e.g. In Indonesia “Pisau” is the name of kitchen tool that has a sharp metal blade used for slice and cut something but in English is “knife”. And the form of those words will be the same everywhere.

DIACHRONIC AND SYNCHRONIC
Diachronic
Diachronic linguistics views the historical development of a language. Thus, on the diachronic axis we can go back and forth in time, watching the language with all its features change.
Synchronic
Synchronic linguistics views a particular state of a language at some given point in time. This could mean Modern English of the present day, or the systematic analysis of the system of Shakespeare's English. However, no comparisons are made to other states of language or other times.
Modern linguistics, following Ferdinand de Saussure, is primarily interested in the synchronic point of view. Saussure postulated the priority of synchrony: no knowledge of the historical development of a language is necessary to examine its present system. He arrived at this radical viewpoint due to his conviction that linguistic research must concentrate on the structure of language. Later, the whole paradigm was hence called structuralism.