Language, the Signifier, and the “Point de Caption”: From Saussure to Lacan and Žižek

Abstract

The paper aims to return to the structural linguistics of Ferdinand de Saussure to examine the application of the structural linguistic terminologies in Lacanian psychoanalysis and the critique of ideology by Slavoj Žižek. First, the author examines Saussure’s structural linguistics terminologies in his book Course in General Linguistics. Then, the differences between its original definitions and their application in Lacanian psychoanalysis and the critique of the ideology of Slavoj Žižek are compared. The author found that although the French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan used various linguistic terminologies that are initially from Saussure’s structural linguistics, he radically rewrote those concepts and perfectly “quilt” them into his theory of psychoanalysis. Besides, Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek carefully examined the Lacanian linguistic view and applied it to the critique of ideology. Indeed, many correlations between Lacanian linguistic terminologies and Saussure’s terminologies in his structural linguistics have been fully concerned by scholars around the world. Nevertheless, from the author’s point of view, it is essential for people nowadays who would like to examine contemporary philosophy deeply, psychoanalysis as well as the critique of ideology to return to Saussure’s book and carefully examine the original forms of the linguistic terms. Thus, this paper mainly focuses on the idea of Sassure’s structural linguistics to give readers some new inspiration by tracing the origin of structural linguistic terms.