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Saussure, Ferdinand de

(Encyclopedia)Saussure, Ferdinand de fĕrdēnäNˈ də sōsürˈ [key], 1857–1913, Swiss linguist. One of the founders of modern linguistics, he established the structural study of language, emphasizing the arbit...

Saussure, Horace Bénédict de

(Encyclopedia)Saussure, Horace Bénédict de də sōsürˈ [key], 1740–99, Swiss physicist and geologist. He was professor at the Univ. of Geneva from 1762 to 1786. He is famous for his studies of the geology, m...

semiotics

(Encyclopedia)semiotics or semiology, discipline deriving from the American logician C. S. Peirce and the French linguist Ferdinand de Saussure. It has come to mean generally the study of any cultural product (e.g....

Medici, Ferdinand I de'

(Encyclopedia)Medici, Ferdinand I de', 1549–1609, grand duke of Tuscany (1587–1609); brother and successor of Francesco de' Medici. He was made a cardinal in his youth, and he built the famous Villa Medici at R...

Brunetière, Ferdinand

(Encyclopedia)Brunetière, Ferdinand fĕrdēnäNˈ brünətyĕrˈ [key], 1849–1906, French literary critic. An opponent of naturalism, he believed that literature should reflect a moral order. His vast learning i...

Magellan, Ferdinand

(Encyclopedia)Magellan, Ferdinand məjelˈən [key], Port. Fernão de Magalhães, Span. Fernando de Magallanes, c.1480–1521, Portuguese navigator who sailed for Portugal and Spain. Born of a noble family, he was ...

Barthes, Roland

(Encyclopedia)Barthes, Roland rôläNˈ bärt [key], 1915–80, French critic. Barthes was one of the founding figures in the theoretical movement centered around the journal Tel Quel. In his earlier works, such as...

Foch, Ferdinand

(Encyclopedia)Foch, Ferdinand fĕrdēnäNˈ fôsh [key], 1851–1929, marshal of France. A professor at the École de Guerre, he later served (1908–11) as director of that institute. In World War I, he was respon...

Medici, Ferdinand II de'

(Encyclopedia)Medici, Ferdinand II de', 1610–70, grand duke of Tuscany (1620–70); son and successor of Cosimo II de' Medici. A pupil of Galileo, he founded (1657) the Accademia del Cimento, the first European a...

Ramuz, Charles Ferdinand

(Encyclopedia)Ramuz, Charles Ferdinand shärl fĕrdēnäNˈ rämüzˈ [key], 1878–1947, Swiss novelist. His works deal with the simple people of his native canton of Vaud. Among his major novels are Le Règne de ...