Contexts Of The Reception Of Neo-Saussureanism

Abstract

This study analyzes the reception of Ferdinand de Saussure’s linguistic thought as presented in his seminal work Course in General Linguistics, highlighting the methodological and epistemological shifts in its interpretation since the book's publication in 1916. The research demonstrates that the published text does not faithfully reflect Saussure’s original ideas, as it was compiled by Bally and Sechehaye based on lecture notes, resulting in what has come to be known as “the Saussure enigma” . The reception is divided into two major phases: the first centered on the reading of "Saussure of the Course", emphasizing structuralist features of language; the second phase, emerging in the 1950s, introduced the notion of a "new Saussure" following the discovery of student notebooks and original manuscripts, which enabled a reinterpretation of key concepts such as the sign, system, and arbitrariness. The study also addresses the debate on Saussure’s intellectual identity—whether he represents continuity with historical linguistics or constitutes an epistemological rupture. The paper concludes that the reception of Saussure's work has yet to achieve a fully integrated theoretical framework, despite the richness of interpretive contributions. It underscores the need to move beyond hermeneutic readings toward the practical application of his concepts in linguistic analysis. Thus, Saussurean linguistics remains an open, evolving, and unfinished intellectual project.