B. Stawarska, Saussure's philosophy of language as phenomenology

Elena Ruiz

pp. 481-486

Review of:

Stawarska Beata, Saussure's philosophy of language as phenomenology: Undoing the doctrine of the course in general linguistics, Oxford University Press, Oxford-New York, 2015.

The influence of de Saussure’s lectures on general linguistics at the University of Geneva (1907–1909)—posthumously published as Cours de Linguistique Générale (1916)—on twentieth century structuralism and philosophy of language is well known, as is the text’s notorious reliance on student notes. In the last five decades, Saussurean scholarship has begun reexamining the editorial decisions of Albert Sechehaye and Charles Bally and their impact on the historical reception of the Course, producing critical editions available to Italian-speaking (1967) and French-speaking (1989) audiences. Now, with the publication of Beata Stawarska’s Saussure’s Philosophy of Language as Phenomenology, English-speaking readers have access to an authoritative source on the inception, scholarly reception, and philosophical implications of Saussure’s thought. It is a timely work that will change how we think about Saussure’s views on language, but also spark further metaphilosophical debate about the ways...