索緒爾講授「普通語言學」的內容經其學生整理成書出版以後，影響深遠，世人尊為「現代語言學之父」。本文參考雅克慎的學說，將索緒爾語言學中「選擇、組合」的概念理解為人們組織材料、建構知識的思維方式，並取以論述民間文學活動的性質、採錄及整理等問題，希望能為複雜多端的民間文學找到一個足可執簡馭繁的認知與詮釋框架。
The article based on the Ferdinand De Saussure (1857-1913) and Roman Jakobson's (1896-1982) theory of linguistics, to study of Folk Literature. Here is the use of linguistics theories ”choice and combination”, but also to ”metaphor and metonymy”. We will be discussing the following issues: The nature of folk literature, and its investigation, and written records.
