Structuralism studies the relationships and systems that give meaning to cultural phenomena. This lesson introduces the approach, traces its development, and explains Ferdinand de Saussure’s influential model of language.
Structuralism is an intellectual approach that interprets elements of human culture through their relationships to a broader system. Rather than treating an individual custom, word, or story as meaningful on its own, structuralists ask how it functions in relation to other elements.
All flashcards
What is structuralism?
An approach that explains cultural phenomena by examining the systems and relationships through which their elements gain meaning.
What is the difference between langue and parole?
Langue is the abstract, shared system of a language; parole is language as actually used in particular speech or writing.
What are the two parts of a linguistic sign?
The signifier, a word’s sound pattern or visual form, and the signified, the concept associated with that form.
Why is the signifier-signified relationship arbitrary?
There is no inherent or natural reason that one particular sound or written form must represent a given concept; languages can use different forms.
How did structuralism spread beyond linguistics?
Roman Jakobson helped adapt structural analysis to other disciplines, and Claude Lévi-Strauss applied linguistic ideas to anthropology, helping inspire broader interest in structuralism.
Quiz questions
How does structural anthropology approach a cultural practice such as a ritual?Answer: As part of a system of signification rather than as an isolated custom.
What is a binary opposition in structuralist analysis?Answer: A pair of contrasting concepts that may organize cultural meanings.
What does the structuralist idea of a “third order” describe?Answer: An abstract model of relations distinct from observable reality and people’s ideas about it.
What is a synchronic analysis of language?Answer: An analysis of how language elements relate within a system at a given time.
What does practice theory emphasize in response to structuralist accounts of social systems?Answer: How people’s actions can reproduce or change social arrangements.
Based on the Wikipedia article Structuralism, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.