Saussure emphasizes the fact that all texts are governed by a set of rules. For example, what is permissible in a poem is unlikely to be permissible in a legal contract. We have rules in place that we don't even recognize or realize exist. “Many rules are explicit but perhaps the most important are deeper and that is they are practically 'known' because they are used but not necessarily reflected” (Potter, 2015). These rules also govern the interpretation of texts. This means that the way you say something is said that way because there is a "rule" that states that it should be that way, in order to be understood. How we interpret things depends on those rules. Furthermore, the three forms of text according to Saussure are the following: written text, oral text and symbolic text. The written is nothing more than the inscription of the oral. This is also where word order is crucial for language to have any kind of meaning. If it weren't for word order, our sentences would have no value or meaning. Secondly, oral texts are another form, which includes the actual speech units of sound and speaking aloud. Social rules, however, contributed to these types of texts. For example, there are social rules when telling stories to others, making jokes, making verbal agreements, etc. These rules help tell us whether or not to interpret a
tags