On the early stages of the reception of the Saussurean concept of semiology in Russia

Abstract

The concept of semiology introduced in the Course in General Linguistics attracted
attention in Russia very early on. This concept was perceived by the Russian linguists
as a continuation of a long tradition of research and not as an innovation. The
more politically and ideologically charged the texts were, the more critically the
Course in General Linguistics, and to a larger extent Saussure and semiology, were
perceived in Russia in the 1920s-1930s.