For linguistics, Ferdinand de Saussure is the defining figure of its modern period. For semiotics too he is the founding figure within Europe, alongside Peirce in America. Yet Saussure's influence reaches far beyond linguistics and semiotics, through the structuralism which his teaching inspired in the decades following his death, and even the post-structuralism which followed it. With chapters written by leading scholars from across the world, this detailed and comprehensive volume charts the significance of Saussure's work across the wide range of fields in which it had an impact, providing a thorough understanding, and the definitive guide to, his ideas and legacy.

Divided into four parts, the book first explores Saussure's life and career, including his published and unpublished work. Part Two is devoted to the Course in General Linguistics, which is dissected across five chapters to offer a highly detailed account of the most important book within modern linguistics. Part Three traces the Course and its leading ideas across the ensuing decades, as Saussure became the acknowledged founding figure not just of modern linguistics and semiotics, but of a structuralism which was not limited by academic field. Lastly, Part Four highlights key themes and topics for close attention, offering an even greater depth of insight into the life, work and reception of Saussure.