“The bond between the signifier and the signified is strictly arbitrary.” (Page 39)
Sausser is stating with this quote that the context in which a word is used makes the meaning of the word. A word can mean different things in different contexts. You can hear a word by itself and that word carries a meaning all by itself. The meaning of this word, when put in context, may change or remain stagnant. The true meaning of the word is given when it is put in context and established as having a true definition.
“Arbitrary,” in this sense basically means that it is a matter of individual judgment. The bond between the word, or signifier, and the meaning the signified is a matter of individual judgment. When a word is heard or read it could mean different things to different people. Therefore, the context in which it is said or written is of extreme importance because words can be altered to fit different definitions.
This affects the way I feel about language in many different ways. The whole meaning of a written work can be altered by the use of certain words. The way these words are put together and the location of the points and ideas in a text are important to make the text have a certain flow. Words have different meanings when standing alone but it is only when they are put in context that one meaning is prevalent. If not worded properly, the writer’s entire point of view can be misconstrued by a meaning of a word. This plays into the idea that the location and context of the word really gives the word a proper definition.
This affects the way I feel about language in many different ways. The whole meaning of a written work can be altered by the use of certain words. The way these words are put together and the location of the points and ideas in a text are important to make the text have a certain flow. Words have different meanings when standing alone but it is only when they are put in context that one meaning is prevalent. If not worded properly, the writer’s entire point of view can be misconstrued by a meaning of a word. This plays into the idea that the location and context of the word really gives the word a proper definition.
1 comment:
Your last paragraph made me think. I have never thought about how the placement of one word could alter the entire meaning of a text. I also liked your point of how an author's message could be confused by the misplacement or misuse of one word. But, in my understanding of structuralism (and all other theories, I guess) there is no author or reader, so the author's message is not relevant. Does this theory not believing in the 'self' alter your understanding?
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