rop ology , ▁meaning ▁is ▁produced ▁and ▁reprodu ced ▁within ▁a ▁culture ▁through ▁various ▁practices , ▁phen omena ▁and ▁activities ▁that ▁serve ▁as ▁systems ▁of ▁sign ification . ▁A ▁struct ural ist ▁approach ▁may ▁study ▁activities ▁as ▁diverse ▁as ▁food - pre par ation ▁and ▁serving ▁rit uals , ▁religious ▁r ites , ▁games , ▁literary ▁and ▁non - liter ary ▁texts , ▁and ▁other ▁forms ▁of ▁entertain ment ▁to ▁discover ▁the ▁deep ▁structures ▁by ▁which ▁meaning ▁is ▁produced ▁and ▁reprodu ced ▁within ▁the ▁culture . ▁For ▁example , ▁Lé vi - St ra uss ▁anal ys ed ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 5 0 s ▁cultural ▁phen omena ▁including ▁myth ology , ▁kin ship ▁( the ▁al liance ▁theory ▁and ▁the ▁inc est ▁tab oo ), ▁and ▁food ▁prepar ation . ▁In ▁addition ▁to ▁these ▁studies , ▁he ▁produced ▁more ▁lingu ist ically ▁focused ▁writ ings ▁in ▁which ▁he ▁applied ▁S auss ure ' s ▁distinction ▁between ▁langue ▁and ▁par ole ▁in ▁his ▁search ▁for ▁the ▁fundamental ▁structures ▁of ▁the ▁human ▁mind , ▁arg uing ▁that ▁the ▁structures ▁that ▁form ▁the ▁" deep ▁grammar " ▁of ▁society ▁origin ate ▁in ▁the ▁mind ▁and ▁operate ▁in ▁people ▁un cons ci ously . ▁Lé vi - St ra uss ▁took ▁insp iration ▁from ▁mathematics . ▁ ▁Another ▁concept ▁used ▁in ▁struct ural ▁anth rop ology ▁came ▁from ▁the ▁Prag ue ▁school ▁of ▁lingu istics , ▁where ▁Roman ▁Jakob son ▁and ▁others ▁anal ys ed ▁sounds ▁based ▁on ▁the ▁presence ▁or ▁absence ▁of ▁certain ▁features