infrastructure

langue

is the most immediate forms of social interaction and exchange (language, kinship rules, economic relations). It is to be compared with the superstructure of social organization: (art, science, religion), relatively autonomous instances of creation, intellection and collective representation.

The six systems mentioned here could be divided into two groups. The first three terms (language, kinship rules, economic relations) could be seen as the 'infrastructure' of social organisation, representing the most immediate forms of social interaction and exchange, while the final three terms (art, science, religion) would designate the relatively autonomous instances of creation, intellection and collective representation, the 'superstructure', as it were, of social existence.

is a view of the language system whereby only differences are visible. It includes neither ideas nor sounds existing prior to the linguistic system, but only conceptual and phonetic differences arising out of that system.

Everything we have said so far comes down to this. In langue, there are only differences . . . and no positive terms. Whether we take the signified or the signifier, langue includes neither ideas nor sounds existing prior to the linguistic system, but only conceptual and phonetic differences arising out of that system.1 (Johnson in Simmons 'kant to levi-strauss' :232))

JohnsonThinkers

Johnson