A Critical and Analytical Study of Selected Terms of Structuralism

Abstract

This article explores three fundamental paired concepts from the glossary section (pages 205–207 and 216–219) of Dr. Nasir Abbas Nayyar’s book on structuralism in Urdu. The terms—Langue and Parole, Synchronic and Diachronic, and Signifier and Signified—are explained and critically analyzed in the context of Urdu literature. By examining how these terms reshape our reading of texts and the nature of meaning, the article highlights structuralism’s contribution to contemporary literary studies.

Keywords: Structuralism, Urdu literature, Langue, Parole, Synchronic, Diachronic, Signifier, Signified, Nasir Abbas Nayyar, Literary theory, Linguistics