Speculation on Saussure’s views of language: Contemporary linguistics calls for Saussure

Ferdinand de Saussure was not only a linguist but also a philosopher of language. This paper aims to discuss in detail the contemporary value of Saussure’s linguistic contribution and the research value of speech activities. Through the perspective of the philosophy of language, we can have a more indepth analysis and a more comprehensive understanding of Saussure’s view of language. Saussure was the founder of crossdisciplinary approach to linguistics that marked a new era in its development. In his concept, Saussure distinguished between the language system of symbollike units, language facts and language ability, synchronic linguistics and diachronic linguistics, external linguistics and internal linguistics. Viewing internal elements of the language system as independent from the world, he focused on the formal relationships between elements of that system. The core part in Saussure’s linguistic concept is “value” as far as it determines the inherent function of symbols in language as a valuable system of symbols. After Saussure, modern linguistics developed vigorously with a number of linguistic schools claiming Saussure as their predecessor. Up to now, few researchers have gone beyond Saussure’s linguistic model to establish a new linguistic approach.