The arbitrariness of the linguistic sign is a key semiological concept.Saussure’s Course in General Linguistics presented it,particularly in the context of the opposition between absolute and relative arbitrariness,a...The arbitrariness of the linguistic sign is a key semiological concept.Saussure’s Course in General Linguistics presented it,particularly in the context of the opposition between absolute and relative arbitrariness,as an irrational principle.The paper is an attempt to answer the questions of how exactly the differentiation between absolute and relative arbitrariness in Saussurean semiology relates to the systemic nature of language,what constitutes the irrationality of arbitrariness,and what could be considered its rational counterpart.展开更多
文摘The arbitrariness of the linguistic sign is a key semiological concept.Saussure’s Course in General Linguistics presented it,particularly in the context of the opposition between absolute and relative arbitrariness,as an irrational principle.The paper is an attempt to answer the questions of how exactly the differentiation between absolute and relative arbitrariness in Saussurean semiology relates to the systemic nature of language,what constitutes the irrationality of arbitrariness,and what could be considered its rational counterpart.
