Saussure’s <i>Cours</i> and the Monosyllabic Myth: the perception of Chinese in early linguistic theory

Ferdinand de Saussure’s Cours linguistique générale reproduced a misconception of Chinese as monosyllabic language without complex words. In this paper, we investigate the sources in Western thought. We also show that about was already known to be inaccurate time, and he had many missed opportunities find out. While Saussure empirical errors Comparatists Neogrammarians with respect Chinese, moved away from cultural prejudices attitudes were behind their claims. This turn, argue, illustrates an important aspect Saussurean scientific revolution, which fuelled more by fundamental conceptual changes than discoveries.