Question

What is an example of the arbitrariness of the linguistic sign?

• A. A dictionary
• B. Different words for "dog" in various languages
• C. A child learning grammar
• D. Phonetic alphabets

Answer 1

Answer:

B. Different words for "dog" in various languages

An example of the arbitrariness of the linguistic sign is the fact that the word "cat" in English refers to a furry, four-legged animal, but there is no inherent reason why that specific combination of sounds should represent that concept; in another language, a completely different set of sounds could be used to signify the same animal, like "chat" in French or "gato" in Spanish.