Tempo, o termo relativo da linguística saussuriana

Abstract

It is widely known that the concept of time, as we understand it in everyday life, intersects with various aspects of Saussurean theory, and several of these notions can be readily identified. However, this study goes beyond the notion of time per se, focusing instead on the concept of temporality within the development of Saussure’s theoretical framework, given its complexity and significance for the understanding of general linguistics. To achieve this aim, the research draws on the work of several scholars dedicated to the study of Saussurean thought—such as André-Jean Petroff, Jacques Coursil, and Maria Fausta Cajahyba Pereira—offering a comprehensive overview of the debate within linguistic studies. Furthermore, the analysis ventures into the field of the exact sciences to establish a productive dialogue between disciplines, positing time as a constituent of the Saussurean linguistic object. For this purpose, the study engages with The Theory of Relativity by Albert Einstein and Space and Time by Hermann Minkowski, which provide the physico-mathematical foundations for this interpretation, thereby positioning time as an interlocutive point in the work of Ferdinand de Saussure. This study concludes that, beyond being feasible, the dialogue between these areas of science offers significant advantages for various analyses when guided by Ferdinand de Saussure’s concepts of Time and Space. As demonstrated throughout the work, certain physical-mathematical notions discussed are directly or indirectly connected to the foundational principles of general linguistics.