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Glossematics and Contemporary Linguistic Theory Louis Hjelmslev
Selected Bibliography Albert Sechehaye: Programme et méthodes de la linguistique théorique. 1908 F. de Saussure: Cours de linguistique générale. 1916 (and later editions). Edward Sapir: Language, 1921. Leonard Bloomfield: Language, 1933. Karl Buehier: Sprachtheorie. 1934. Karl Buehiers Die Aidomatik der Sprachwissenschaffcen, Kant studien 38.1933. N. Trubetskoys Grundauege der Phonologic., Travaux du Cerc"le linguistique dp Prague 7. 1939. French translation (with additionsj*by Principes de phonologic. Roman Jakobson, G. Fant, M. Halle: Preliminaries to Speech Analysis. 1952. Recent works by Zellig S. Harris, Charles F. Hockett, Kenneth L. Pike, Jersy Kurylowics, and others. Glossematics: Louis Hjelmslev: Prolegomena to a Theory of Language. Translated by Francis J. Whitfield. ([Supplement to UAL vol. 19 no. I. - Indiana University Publications in Anthropology and Linguistics, Memoir 7.) 1953. (New edition forthcoming. - Original Danish version published in 1943.) (Abbreviation: P.) Louis Hjelmslev: Essais linguistique s. Travaux du Cercle linguistique de Copenhague 12. 1959. (Collected papers in French and in English, with a complete bibliography of the publications of Louis Hjelmslev.)) (Abbrev.: E.) pp. 27-35: Structural Analysis of Language (first published in 1948; a presentation of the most general principles of Glossematics). Louis Hjelmslev, H. J. Uldall: Outline of Glossematics. Part 1: General Theory, by H. J. Uldall. Travaux du Cercle linguistique de Copenhague 10, 1. 1957. (pp. 1-35: Genera). Principles, pp. 36-87: Glossematic Algebra. (Abbr.: OG.)
2JL” -Analytical Procedure f Lecture s 1, 2). 2. Functions (Lectures 1, 2, 3, 5).
P 20-25«
function fa ^ b) l relation (a R b) 1 correlation fa: b) 1 cohesion s determination fv»~* Co C<~<v) l selection 1 fV->Cs C<-v) 1 specification J fv (- e, c Hv) reciprocity interdependence fct-o-c) 1 ■ [ solidarity 1 ((e oj c) l 1 complementarity | (c_|_c) constellation (v \ 1 ' v) j combination {v - v) I autonomy fv j- v)
analysis if di vision): description o£ an object by fch® uniform depen- denees of other objects on it and on each other. function: dependence that fulfills the conditions for an analysis, f Other wises OG 36.) C£ EL 114. relation: both^and function. (In OG 42 this is called connesdon.)
correlation: either-or function. (In OG pi tints is called£cyuivalence and has a different formal definition.) functive: object that has function to other objects. constant (c): functive whose presence is a necessary condition for the presence of the functive to which it has a function. variable fv): functive whose presence is not a necessary c ondition for the presence of the functive to which it has a functi on. determination: function between a constant and a variable. selection: determination between relates. specification: determination between correlates. interdependence: function between two constants. solidarity: interdependence between relates.
3complementarity: interdependence between correlates.
cohesion (formerly called connexion); function among whose func~ lives appear, one or more constants. The constant(s) can be said to be presupposed by the funcfcive(s) with which they have a cohesion. constellation: function between two variables.
combination: constellation between relates. autonomy: constellation between correlates. reciprocity: function containing either only constants or only variables. incompatibility: absence of function between objects. catalysis ( - }: registration of cohesions through the replacement of one /relatively smaller/ entity by another (larger entity) to which it has substitution (for substitution,, see below). Example: isolated subordinate clause ("if I had money .. . ") > larger entity consisting of this subordinate clause —> an encatalyzed category of principal clauses ("I would go to the pictures", "I would buy a car", etc. etc.) In particular cases where the speech situation or situation context permits adding one definite constant (in the example chosen: one definite principal, clause, e.g., "I would buy a car") instead of the whole category of possible constants, the category is said to be resolved, and the catalysis is replaced by an ordinary inte gpolati on. class: object that is subjected to analysis. segments: objects that are registered by a single analysis as uniformly dependent on the class and on each other. Segments thus are the resultants of an analytical operation. synthesis: description of an object as a segment of a class. A class is said to be generated by the function between its segments. hierarchy: class of classes.
4process for sequence); relational hierarchy. system: correlational hierarchy. language is taken in the ordinary linguistic sense. A hierarchy whose structure is fundamentally similar to that of languages, but which is not in itself a language in the linguistic sense, is called a semiotic. (These terms are correlational only, see below.) A semiotic process is called a syntagmatic. A linguistic syntagmatic is called a text. A semiotic system is called a paradigmatic. A linguistic paradig-- matic is called a language.
A process consists of chains. Chains that are generated by a defi- nite relation are called units. Examples; A complex independent clause (sentence) can through a synthesis be shown to be a unit generated by the select tion between a modulation (often manifested by an intona- fcion) as the constant and the modulation-theme as the variant. This is a practical glossamatie definition of a synthetic independent clause (sentence). A complex modulation-theme can through a synthesis be shown to be a unit generated by the selection between a "principal clause" as the constant and "subordinate clause(s)" as the variable. A syllable can through a synthesis be shown to be a unit generated by the selection between an accent (often manifested by a degree of stress or by a particular pitch) as the constant and the accent“theme (or syllabic theme) as the variable. This is a practical glossematie definition of a (synthetic) syllable. A syllabic theme is, in its turn, generated by the selection
^consonant unit)—> |vowel unit ^ (often manifested by contoid clusters (or simple contoids) and vocoid clusters (or simple vocoids), respectively). A system consists of paradigms. Paradigms that are generated by a definite correlation are called categories. - Paradigms (and categories) may be represented graphically by vertical columns,
5forming a right angle with the chain, so that each member of a paradigm can be said to take the same "place" in the chain as the other members of the same paradigm (cp. the single pic- tures in a moving film-strip). Direction (and government); E 139-164« (Lecture 6) 3_. Commutation and Substitution. Content Plane and Expression Plane. (Lectures 1, Z0 4.) The commutation test is carried out within one and the same paradigm (or category, respectively). Glossematics does not start from minimal elements (e.g., "phonemes'j)(cf. Analytical Procedure) but from the largest possible chains. Thus, there is no dis- tribufcional procedure required. If the replacement of one member of a paradigm in one plane of the language (content plane or expression plane)) can entail some replacement in the opposite plane (expression plane or content plane, respectively), then the two members are recognised as commutables (invariants) or as having mutual commutation (symbol; ; ). If the replacement of one member of a paradigm in one plane of th® language cannot entail a replacement in the opposite plane, then the two members are recognized as substifcufcables (variants) or as having mutual substitution (symbol: inverted semicolon < ). Examples: Commutation in the content: 'he' ; 'she* in English (expressed by he, she) ‘he* * ’she' in Chinese (expressed by«tha:), Finnish (escpressed by hitn), Hungarian (expressed by fl:) Commutation in the expression: s ; z in English s i z in Danish jj> ; t> in English £ i Jb in Finnish P 46=47, 25=38. E 36-68, 82-88, 89-95, 96-112, 121-2. A syncretism (neutralization) is the result of a suspended commuta tion. Syncretisms are either coalescences (as £/b> in Danish at the end of a syllable, and similarly in Russian) or implications (e.g. the mechanical replacement of jz by s in English in cases like "cats", "puts").
6The two planes have mutual solidarity. A sign consists of a sign content and a sign expression with mutual combination {allowing for the existence of synonyms and homonyms). » A sign expression corresponds to what in con- ventional terminology is known as a "form", and to what in Prague terminology and in ordinary American terminology is known as a "morpheme". 4° Form and Substance (lectures 3, 6). E 27-81.. P 31-2, 34-5, 47-51, 61 = 2, 65-8. manifestation: selection between hierarchies and between derivates (segments and segments-of-segments) of different hierarchies. form: the constant in a manifestation. substance: the variable in a manifestation. The content substance is of semantic nature. The expression substance is of phonic, graphic .. . nature. Note that, accord- ing to glossematics, phonemes, as well as phones, belong to the expression substance, whereas substitutables in both planes belong to the form. Content substance, content form, expression form, and expression substance are called the four strata. usage: any relation between different strata and between parts of different strata. 5. Exhaustive Description (.Lecture 4). P 62 6. Synchronic and Genetic Linguistics (Lecture 4). E 19-20 Genetic Linguistics is divided into diachronies (change of elements) and metachronics (change of systems). »• Genetic ("historical") Linguistics is of a descriptive nature (like any scientific treatment).
7Genetic functions: The function between linguistic states, con» sidered as evolutionary stages, is a specification, with the relatively older stage as the constant. - The functions be- tween coordinate, mutually genetically related linguistic states are combination and complementarity. 7. General Typological Calculus (Lecture 41. •miiioMp '•■•mill, I*» Oil— K»iTl uhi»h»Hm««w»w» ———¥*I —— t 0» The function between a relatively special and a relatively general type of semiotic is a selection, with the relatively general type as the constant. - The function between different types of one and the same hierarchic stage is a complementarity. £>. Denotation and Connotation. (Lecture 4). P 73-6 A connotative semiotic is a semiotic whose expression plane is a semiotic. Examples: Styles; national languages. 9. Metasemiotics (Lecture 4).
P 76-80 A metasemiotic is a ((scientific) semiotic whose content plane is a semiotic. Examples: terminologies; linguistics.
Some of tho definitions and statements given above should be taken as practical approximations only.
Austin, Texas February, 1961
Louis Hjelmslev