Les désarrois du maître de Genève

Abstract

The confusion surrounding the Maître de Genève. An introduction to a critical study of the language and nomenclature of F. de Saussure The course in general linguistics by F. de Saussure is a text formulated by C. Bally and A. Séchehaye from autographical notes rediscovered after de Saussure's death and from notes written by some of those who actually attended his course. Classified and commented on by Mr R. Godel, the sources used for the CLG give a very different image of de Saussure, his thought and his character, from that created by the CLG ; it is an image which is accepted as being much more reliable than the latter and which gives us the opportunity of catching a real glimpse of the man who was the « Maître de Genève ». These sources show in particular that during the whole of his life de Saussure was reluctant to publish anything — pieces of work, articles of lectures — on general linguistics or on the procedures and methods used in synchronie linguistics. With the help of a few examples, an attempt is being made here to clarify the reasons for this silence and the surprising confusion which the sources raise.