语言符号任意性与非任意性研究两问

On two questions about arbitrariness and nonarbitrariness of linguistic signs

术语内涵的不同解释是语言任意性和非任意性之争的缘由之一,因此,必须对它们进行本源性的、语篇分析式的清理和阐释。分析表明,任意性最根本的意思是我们无法从物理、生理等自然方面找出施指与所指结合成语言符号的理由。同时,任意性也体现在语言符号和外界实体、语音和语义、语法结构和语义结构等两两相对的构件之间。和任意性对举的是非任意性,包括象似性和理据性。理据是语言系统自组织过程中促动某一语言现象产生、发展或消亡的动因。象似性则主要涉及语法形式和语义结构之间的可论证性。从我们给出的关于任意性和非任意性构成的层级体系示意图来看,任意性是受非任意性制约的任意性,而非任意性是以任意性为生存条件的非任意性,二者互补共存、相辅相成,在语言的各个层面上共同成为语言组织中的两大功能性原则。

Terminological confusion is liable to hinder the further study of arbitrariness and nonarbitrariness of linguistic signs and hence it is necessary to clarify it on the basis of original works. The analysis shows that arbitrariness mainly means the impossibility of finding out in the physical and biological sense, the motivation behind the link between the signal and signification of the linguistic sign. Arbitrariness also manifests itself at the level of linguistic signs and their entities, sound and meaning, and of syntactic structures and their semantic content. Nonarbitrariness is made to be in opposition to arbitrariness, and it includes motivation and iconicity. Iconicity mainly concerns the corresponding relationship between syntactic form and semantic function. Motivation is the driving force that promotes the formation, evolution or extinction of language phenomena or language entities. Being complementary and substantiated at different levels, arbitrariness and nonarbitrariness are two interdependent functional principles of language organization.