The Importance of Language

            Like many things in our (post)modern times, language is taken for granted. The fact that mankind has created a communication system that is centered on sound and then prescribed value is actually a phenomenal notion. Language enables us to convey our thoughts and ideas to others that understand us simply because they hear the sounds we make and have been raised to interpret those sounds as words. As Saussure said in Course in General Linguistics (the easier of the two readings, by far), “Without language, thought is a vague, uncharted nebula. There are no pre-existing ideas, and nothing is distinct before the appearance of language” (5).

             Saussure went into greater detail about the dichotomy of sound and words. Without sound, words cannot be conveyed and sound alone is “a secondary thing, [a] substance to be put to use” (10). The way the two work together is how a society can function. Having a signified and signifier enables communication for millions. I did not initially understand exactly how that made sense; obviously the words signify a meaning, but there is always more to it than just that. Below is a picture that explains it a bit easier than the reading and its diagrams.

            The Barthes reading is much more intense than Saussure’s analysis of language and semiotics. I think Barthes is trying to say that there pleasure people get from reading isn’t solely based on the content of the text, but on the atmosphere in which they read it in and how they read. While what goes into the text is important, there’s a psyche that comes with reading and understanding language that is not as easily understood and subjective to the individual reader. If anyone understands the Barthes reading feel free to comment, as I am kind of lost.