Is Language Really Arbitrary?

Question 1

Why is it helpful to have an arbitrary relationship between the parts of language and what they mean?

Answer 1

flexibility which leads to productivity, Duality of patterning and Change

Question 2

what is a feature of language that goes against Arbitrariness

Answer 2

Onomatopoeia

Question 3

what are Ideophones

Answer 3

A word that sounds like what it describes. “Splash” “Buzz” “Sizzle”

Question 4

Iconicity

Answer 4

When a word’s sound or shape mimics what it describes.

While iconic associations are ‘natural’, that doesn’t mean they are universal

Question 5

Sound symbolism

Answer 5

When a sound resembles the shape of the mouth or its properties.

Question 6

Iconicity in grammar

Answer 6

subject, verb, and noun placement in a sentence, which can vary between languages.

Question 7

Sound symbolic words in children’s language

Answer 7

Sound symbolic words are over-represented in child-directed speech and are easier for children to learn

Question 8

Language evolution

Answer 8

The key role of the perceptomotor system:
o Role-play -> mime -> gesture -> tongue/lip movement -> meaning -> analogy -> conventionalisation

o Mapping of mental schema to language structures
* still plays a role in modern language processing

o Affective associations with words

o Ease of learning and categorisation for L2 learners

Question 9

what is the difference between sound symbolism and iconicity?

Answer 9

Sound symbolism specifically involves the relationship between sounds and their meanings, whereas iconicity can involve any form (sound, visual, etc.) resembling its meaning.