ABSTRACT
This work investigates the concept of phoneme in Saussure and aims to elucidate the place it occupies within his theoretical formulations concerning the science of language and its object. Situated in the interval between phonation and acoustic printing, the Saussurian notion of phoneme requires the speaking subject - “niche of langue et langage” - and displaces the naturalistic standpoint of comparative grammar without founding a new science. Based on Milner (2012), we assume that Saussure continues the linguistics inaugurated by F. Bopp and, to account for the continuity and the displacement referred, we seek to explain the reasons of the latter on the basis of the former.
Key-words:
Saussure; phoneme; speaking subject