A Conceptual Comparison between Saussure’s Theory of Language and Speech and Chomsky’s Theory of Linguistic Competence and Performance

Abstract

This paper offers a conceptual comparison of the term’s language and speech and linguistic competence and performance from the perspectives of Ferdinand de Saussure and Noam Chomsky. The study aims to compare and analyze the concepts presented by these two theorists, highlighting their similarities and examining how these notions are A comparison of the two aforementioned perspectives reveals that Saussure considered the faculty of speech as a natural ability of the child, stating that each child uses this faculty to employ language; the flow of inhaled and exhaled air then enables the vocal organs to produce speech. Similarly, Chomsky views the faculty of speech as an innate ability of the child, inherent to human nature, which manifests in action or performance. Speech, in this view, has a performative quality that generates phrases and sentences. This comparison shows that both linguists emphasize the same innate human knowledge, encompassing both physical and psychological aspects, while also reflecting similar conceptual relationships in their thinking. the findings of this study indicate that Saussure, by founding the structuralize school of linguistics, brought about a significant transformation in the field and introduced the distinction between language and speech. He considers language as the result of the human faculty of speech, which forms the basis of utterance and gains objective identity through the sounds of language. Similarly, Chomsky, the founder of the generative school, proposed the distinction between linguistic competence and performance. He describes competence, like Saussure’s concept, as an inner faculty or internal language—sometimes referred to as a “linguistic talent”—and regards performance as the process through which language is realized in actual use. This article primarily draws on Saussure’s Course in General Linguistics, Chomsky’s Knowledge of Language: Its Nature, Origin, and Use, and related scholarly articles in the field of linguistics.