6/24/2010

Arbitrariness in Language
True Language?  Linguistic Sign-  The connection
the combination between form and
of a form & meaning in
meaning. language is
arbitrary.
P I T – inner core of
a peach meaning is not in
anyway predictable
from the form, nor
the form dictated by
the meaning

Other considerations in Language

Nonarbitrary form-meaning Arbitrariness…
connection
 It is usually the Water – English
case that words Eau – French
Iconic forms- are directly with the same Wasser – German
meaning have
representational of their meanings diff
differentt forms
f in
i Shui - Mandarin
different Lee / Lea
No Smoking sign languages and
“means bed in
that similar forms
express different French”
meanings. “marks a question
in Russian”

Cross-linguistic Examples of Onomatopoeia

Sound Symbolism- words more
Sound English German French Spanish Hebrew Arabic Chinese Japanes
se e abstractly suggest some physical
Dog bawwaw Vawwaw Wahwah Wawaw Hawhaw Awa Wawwaw wawa
characteristics by the way they
sound
Rooster kakadud kikəriki Kokorik Kikriki Kiruriku Kikikis Kuku kokekko
ld
ldu o ko  Small
Presence of “i”
Bird Twit-twit Pip Kwikwi Pippip Tswits- Zæg- či či či či
tswits zæg Ex. Tiny, petite – English
mikros – Greek
perrito – small dog - Spanish

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 6/24/2010

Common features of all

 Fl Communication Systems
ex. fly, flee, flow  Mode of Communication-
flimsy, flicker, fluid transmission of message

Suggestive of lightness and  Semanticity-

Semanticity meaning
quickness
 Pragmatic Function- purpose/use

Some Communication systems and Some Communication and their

their shared features… shared features…
Interchangeability-
roles: sender receiver Discreteness- the property of
having complex messages that are
Cultural transmission- built up out smaller parts.
parts
communication system to be
learned through communicative
interaction

Arbitrariness

True language has the following

characteristics:
 Displacement. This refers to the
ability to communicate about things
that are not present in space or
time.
 Productivity. This refers to the
ability to produce and understand
any number of messages that have
never been expressed before and
that may express novel ideas.