ABSTRACT
Developed in Denmark by L.Hjelmslev (1899-1965) and others, glossematics is the structural linguistic theory of the so-called ‘Copenhagen Linguistic Circle.’ The term ‘glossematics,’ meaning ‘combination of glossemes’ was coined in 1936 by L. Hjelmslev and H.J.Uldall to delineate their theories from more traditional forms of structural linguistics, especially the Prague School ( structuralism). The linguistic theory of glossematics is understood as a continuation of the fundamental structuralist principles set forth by de Saussure (1916) in his Cours de linguistique générale; however, Hjelmslev, influenced by the logical empiricism of A.Whitehead, B.Russell, R. Carnap, and others, aims to make the theory more axiomatic, which his complex terminological apparatus so aptly reveals. Glossematics is based on the hypothesis that language represents a system of internal relations whose structure can be described exclusively through language-internal criteria, autonomously from other disciplines. In strong accord with the methodological principles of de Saussure, glossematics assumes langue ( langue vs parole) to be the object of linguistic research, investigated independently of parole.
