The centenary of Ferdinand de Saussure’s «Cours de linguistique générale».

The paper discusses the making of «Cours de linguistique générale», the role Charles Bally and Albert Sechehaye played in the preparation of Saussure’s lectures for print and the effort they took to make Saussure’ theory popular. Some previously unknown facts are presented. Further study of Saussure’s heritage, which was continued in the framework of saussurology, was aimed at altering the stereotyped perception of Saussure’s teaching. Immediate affiliations as well as more distant tendencies in the influence of Saussure’s ideas on the development of modern linguistics are examined.