Saussure \so-'si£r\, Ferdinand de (b. Nov. 26, 1857, Geneva, Switz.—d. Feb. 22, 1913, Geneva) Swiss linguist. Though his only written work appeared while he was still a university student, Saussure became very influential as a teacher, principally at the University of Geneva (1901- 13). Two of his students reconstructed lecture notes and other materials as Course in General Linguistics (1916), often considered the starting point of 20th-century linguistics. He saw language as a structured system that may be approached both as it exists at a particular time and as it changes over time, and he formalized principles and methods of study for each approach. His concepts may be regarded as the beginning of structuralism.
Sauveur \so-VcerV Albert (b. June 21, 1863, Louvain, Belg.—d. Jan. 26, 1939, Boston, Mass., U.S.) Belgian-born U.S. metallurgist. He immi¬ grated to the U.S. in 1887 and taught at Harvard University (1899-1939). His microscopic and photomicroscopic studies of metal structures make him one of the founders of physical metallurgy. His work in heat-treating of metals is regarded as a scientific landmark. He wrote the influential treatise Metallography and Heat Treatment of Iron and Steel (1912).
Sava River \'sa-va\ River, western Balkans, southern Europe. It flows for 584 mi (940 km), and its basin covers much of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, and northern Serbia. It rises in the Julian Alps as two rivers, which join at Radovlijica. It then flows through Slovenia and Croatia, forming the border between Croatia and Bosnia before entering Serbia and join¬ ing the Danube River at Belgrade.
Savannah City (pop., 2000: 131,510), southeastern Georgia, U.S. Located at the mouth of the Savannah River, it is the oldest city in Geor¬ gia and its principal seaport. It was established in 1733 by James Ogletho¬ rpe and was the birthplace of the Georgia colony, the seat of the colonial government, and capital of the state until 1786. A major Confederate sup¬ ply port during the American Civil War, the city was the objective of Union Gen. William T. Sherman’s march to the sea in 1864. Noted for its beau¬ tiful historic buildings built around a system of small parks, it is a lead¬ ing tourist centre. It is the site of several institutions of higher learning.
Savannah River River, eastern Georgia, U.S. Formed by the conflu¬ ence of the Tugaloo and Seneca rivers at Hartwell Dam, it flows south¬
east to form the boundary between Georgia and South Carolina. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Savannah after a course of 314 mi (505 km). It is navigable for ocean vessels to 5 mi (8 km) above Savannah and for barge traffic to Augusta.
savant syndrome Rare condition wherein a person of subnormal intelligence or severely limited emotional range has prodigious intellec¬ tual gifts in a specific area. Mathematical, musical, artistic, and mechani¬ cal abilities have been among the talents demonstrated by savants. Examples include performing rapid mental calculations of huge sums, playing lengthy compositions from memory after a single hearing, and repairing complex mechanisms without training. About 10% of autistic people are savants; mentally retarded people may also be savants, though the incidence is much lower. See also autism.
Save \'sa-ve\ River or Sabi Vsa-be\ River River, southeastern Africa. It rises in Zimbabwe and flows east-southeast across the border into Mozambique, continuing east into the Mozambique Channel. It is about 400 mi (645 km) long and is navigable by light craft for 100 mi (160 km) above its mouth.
Savigny Vza-vin-ye\, Friedrich Karl von (b. Feb. 21, 1779, Frank¬ furt am Main—d. Oct. 25, 1861, Berlin, Prussia) German jurist and legal historian. He was nobly born, and his privileged position enabled him to devote his life to scholarship. Teaching at the University of Berlin (1810— 42), he helped found the influential “historical school” of jurisprudence. His six-volume History of Roman Law in the Middle Ages (1815-31) laid the foundation of the modem study of medieval law. He founded a sys¬ tem for establishing a modem German civil law with his eight-volume System of Modern Roman Law (1840-49), which also contained his sys¬ tem of international private law. A product of Romanticism, he regarded law as a reflection of a people’s customs and spirit that could not be imposed artificially by means of rational, formal legislation.
Savimbi Xso-'vim-beV Jonas (Malheiro) (b. Aug. 3, 1934, Portu¬ guese Angola—d. Feb. 22, 2002, near Lucusse, Angola) Angolan guer¬ rilla leader and politician. After obtaining a doctorate abroad, Savimbi returned to found the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) in 1966. With aid from China, South Africa, and the U.S., UNITA developed a large guerrilla army and embarked on an extended war against the Soviet-backed Angolan government. In 1991 Savimbi agreed to participate in free multiparty elections, but after los¬ ing he resumed his military campaign. A peace accord (1994) and later agreements (1996) permitted UNITA to join a coalition government; many of the agreements’ measures were carried out under UN auspices, but Savimbi declined to become vice president, and violence continued until his death. UNITA signed a peace agreement in April 2002.
saving Process of setting aside a portion of current income for future use, or the resources accumulated in this way over a given period of time. Savings may take the form of bank deposits and cash holdings or secu¬ rities. How much individuals save is affected by their preferences for future over present consumption and their expectations of future income. If individuals consume more than the value of their income, then their saving is negative and they are said to be dissaving. Individual saving may be measured by estimating disposable income and subtracting cur¬ rent consumption expenditures. A measure of business saving is the increase in net worth shown on a balance sheet. Total national saving is measured as the excess of national income over consumption and taxes. Saving is important to economic progress because of its relation to invest¬ ment: an increase in productive wealth requires that some individuals abstain from consuming their entire income and make their savings avail¬ able for investment.
savings and loan association Financial institution that accepts savings from depositors and uses those funds primarily to make loans to home buyers. Savings and loan associations (S&Ls) originated with 18th- century British building societies, in which workmen banded together to finance the building of their homes. The first U.S. savings and loan was established in Philadelphia in 1831. S&Ls were initially cooperative insti¬ tutions in which savers were shareholders in the association and received dividends in proportion to profits, but today are mutual organizations that offer a variety of savings plans. They are not obliged to rely on individual deposits for funds but are permitted to borrow from other financial insti¬ tutions and to market mortgage-backed securities, money-market certifi¬ cates, and stock. Because high inflation and rising interest rates in the 1970s made fixed-rate mortgages unprofitable, regulations were altered to
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1692 I savings bank ► sawfiy
permit S&Ls to renegotiate mortgages. In the late 1980s, a growing num¬ ber of S&Ls failed because inadequate regulation had allowed risky investments and fraud to flourish. The government was obliged to cover vast losses in excess of $200 billion, and the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corp. (FSLIC) became insolvent in 1989. Its insurance func¬ tions were taken over by a new organization supervised by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., and the Resolution Trust Corp. was established to handle the bailout of the failed S&Ls.