原型理论视野下任意性与象似性关系的再认识

A Further Study on the Relationship Between Arbitrariness and Iconicity from the Perspective of Prototype Categories

任意性和象似性不是完全分立的两个概念,而是处于同一个连续统中,绝对任意性和绝对象似性位于连续统的两端。任意性和象似性程度是经济原则和象似原则竞争的结果:经济原则占据优势,则语言的任意性增加;象似原则占上风,则象似性增强。语言符号按照象似性"任意性程度高低分布于从左到右"从右到左的连续统中,而绝大部分语言符号分布于连续统中间,典型的成员都是任意性和象似性兼具的。

The concepts of arbitrariness and iconicity are not distinctively separated.Instead, they exist in a continuum, at whose two ends are absolute arbitrariess and absolute iconicity.Arbitrariness and iconicity are results of competition between the principle of economy and the principle of iconicity.The two principles interact with each other to achieve an optimum balance.The degree of iconicity of linguistic signs decreases from left to right along the continuum, with most of the signs existing in the middle of the continuum.Typical members of linguistic signs usually keep a good balance beween arbitrariness and iconicity.