Anthropology 3308- Signs and Symbols Midterm
Question #1: Ferdinand de Saussure famously argued that “the bond between the signifier and the signified is arbitrary.” What does he mean by this and what evidence does he cite to support his position? Are there any problems with Saussure 's claim?
Ferdinand de Saussure passed away in 1913 prior to being able to publish his works, but through the collection of lectures and notes his students published his theory of linguistics in a book in 1915 entitled “A Course in General Linguistics”. Saussure suggested a theory of linguistics which has two basic principles, the first is the arbitrary nature of signs, while the second is the linear nature of the signifier. Ferdinand de Saussure suggests that …show more content…
For example, the Ndembu generally regard “red” to be a symbol of blood, but its meaning and use changes based on the ritual it is in. Take a circumcision ritual, red most definitely represents blood but connotes a meaning of manliness, male potency, and hunting. When the same colour is used in regard to a females initiation rite it connotes meanings much different from that of the male ritual, “red” still represents blood but suggests meanings related to menstruation, child birth, and matrilineage. From the specific associations of the colour “red” with blood other meanings have developed that are specific to the particular cultural contexts in which they are …show more content…
In order to understand Douglas’ theory of the food taboos found in Leviticus it is important to first understand what is meant by impurity or uncleanliness. Mary Douglas believed that uncleanliness or dirt was simply matter out of place, or a disorder of a pattern. In a ritual sense then, purification can be understood as the restoration of order, and impurity as the disorder of order. When speaking religiously impurity is there for the defilement of holy order, while purification is the restoration of that holy order. A fantastic example of this is abdest, which is a Turkish Muslim purification ritual which requires anyone wishing to pray or touch the Qur’an to clean themselves in a specific ritual matter. This act of purification cleanses them in preparation of religious activity. When Mary Douglas observed the classification of animals in Leviticus she suggested that animals that do not simply fit the classification of land, sea, or air were unclean, or anomalous and therefore represented disorder. Several other suggestions for why some animals are considered unclean while others are not include; medical materialism, holiness as self-control, allegory, and protection from temptation. Douglas rejects these ideas and instead favours looking at the proscriptions in Leviticus as a system of symbolic
Question #1: Ferdinand de Saussure famously argued that “the bond between the signifier and the signified is arbitrary.” What does he mean by this and what evidence does he cite to support his position? Are there any problems with Saussure 's claim?
Ferdinand de Saussure passed away in 1913 prior to being able to publish his works, but through the collection of lectures and notes his students published his theory of linguistics in a book in 1915 entitled “A Course in General Linguistics”. Saussure suggested a theory of linguistics which has two basic principles, the first is the arbitrary nature of signs, while the second is the linear nature of the signifier. Ferdinand de Saussure suggests that …show more content…
For example, the Ndembu generally regard “red” to be a symbol of blood, but its meaning and use changes based on the ritual it is in. Take a circumcision ritual, red most definitely represents blood but connotes a meaning of manliness, male potency, and hunting. When the same colour is used in regard to a females initiation rite it connotes meanings much different from that of the male ritual, “red” still represents blood but suggests meanings related to menstruation, child birth, and matrilineage. From the specific associations of the colour “red” with blood other meanings have developed that are specific to the particular cultural contexts in which they are …show more content…
In order to understand Douglas’ theory of the food taboos found in Leviticus it is important to first understand what is meant by impurity or uncleanliness. Mary Douglas believed that uncleanliness or dirt was simply matter out of place, or a disorder of a pattern. In a ritual sense then, purification can be understood as the restoration of order, and impurity as the disorder of order. When speaking religiously impurity is there for the defilement of holy order, while purification is the restoration of that holy order. A fantastic example of this is abdest, which is a Turkish Muslim purification ritual which requires anyone wishing to pray or touch the Qur’an to clean themselves in a specific ritual matter. This act of purification cleanses them in preparation of religious activity. When Mary Douglas observed the classification of animals in Leviticus she suggested that animals that do not simply fit the classification of land, sea, or air were unclean, or anomalous and therefore represented disorder. Several other suggestions for why some animals are considered unclean while others are not include; medical materialism, holiness as self-control, allegory, and protection from temptation. Douglas rejects these ideas and instead favours looking at the proscriptions in Leviticus as a system of symbolic