Arbitrariness and Complex Signs

CONTENT

TABLE OF IMAGES

1 INTRODUCTION

2 LANGUAGE AND THE LINGUISTIC SIGN
2.1 SIMPLEX AND COMPLEX
2.2 THE LINGUISTIC SIGN
2.3 LANGUAGE
2.4 SIGN INTERNAL AND SIGN RELATED ANALYSIS

3 ARBITRARINESS AND MOTIVATION
3.1 SIGN INTERNAL ANALYSIS AND ARBITRARINESS
3.1.1 How to Define Arbitrariness
3.1.2 Sign Internal: Arbitrariness and Convention
3.2 SIGN RELATED ANALYSIS AND MOTIVATION
3.2.1 How to Define Motivation
3.2.2 Sign Related: Motivation
3.3 SIGN INTERNAL AND SIGN RELATED ANALYSIS OF A COMPLEX SIGN
3.4 FIRST CONCLUSIONS

4 EXEMPLIFICATION
4.1 THE CONCEPT *MOVE RHYTHMICALLY TO MUSIC* AND ITS SOUND PATTERN
4.1.1 Internal Structure of /d a: n s/
4.2 THE CONCEPT *PERSON MOVING RHYTHMICALLY TO MUSIC* AND ITS SOUND PATTERN
4.2.1 Compositionality
4.2.2 Associative Relations
4.2.3 Motivation of the Internal Structure of /d a: n s e/
4.3 STRUCTURAL MOTIVATION AND CONVENTIONALIZED ARBITRARINESS
4.3.1 Structural Motivation of /d a: n s a /
4.3.2 Arbitrariness of /d a: n s / and / a /

5 THE ESSENCE
5.1 STRUCTURAL MOTIVATION OF COMPLEX SIGNS
5.2 ARBITRARY RELATION OF CONSTITUENT UNITS

WORKS CITED

Table of Images

Image 1: Sign Internal Analysis of a Linguistic Sign

Image 2: Sign Related Analysis of a Complex Sign

1 Introduction

The following essay wants to draw attention to the relation between motivation and ar- bitrariness within complex linguistic signs. Modern linguistics tries to establish motivation within the language system and by this often seems to negotiate arbitrariness. Bolinger claimed in 1980: “Arbitrary and conventional is a fitting description of distinctive sounds, less so of words, even less of sentences, and beyond that scarcely fits at all“ (Fischer & Nänny, 1999, p. xxi) . Dirven and Verspoor proclaim that “most of the complex forms of lan- guage…are…not arbitrary, but transparent or motivated“ (Dirven & Verspoor, p. 21) .

Motivation is used to construct convincing explanations for sometimes mystified phe- nomena in a language. Motivated by C.S. Peirce’s sign system, linguistic signs are recently moved from a box signed ‘symbol’ into a box signed ‘icon’. Language by this is meant to be a more or less predictable act, which is based on translucent regularities and ordering princi- ples. Structural similarities are the basis of motivation, which examines and proclaims order- ing principles in all spheres of the language: phonology, morphology, lexicon and semantics Motivation even obstructs the syntax of a language.

Three main ideas underlie the principle of motivation: (i) sequential ordering, (ii) quan- tity and (iii) proximity. Simplified, the ideas can be summarized as follows: (i) arrangement of linguistic elements according to temporal events, like he opened the door and came in or veni, vidi, vici; (ii) the amount of meaning is reflected in the amount of linguistic form¹, like I go − I went − I had gone or a car − a green car − a green convertible; (iii) conceptual distance is reflected in formal distance, like I made her leave − I wanted her to leave − I wished she would leave.

Essential to all three principles of iconicity² is the kind of motivation they supply. What can be identified by sequential ordering, quantity and proximity is the formal and conceptual structure of a linguistic sign. Metaphorically speaking, motivation provides the bones (formal structure) and the muscles (conceptual structure) to complex linguistic sign. What motiva- tion can neither answer nor negotiate is the question of element’s arbitrariness, and why a certain concept is conventionally linked to a representing sound pattern. Moreover, it is the arbitrary character of simplex forms, which enables the understanding of complex signs.

The aim of this paper is to raise an awareness for the inseparable connection of arbi- trariness and motivation in the analysis of complex signs. This aim will be achieved in three steps. First, the distinction between simplex and complex sign is focused, followed by a short introduction of the linguistic sign and a simplified understanding of language. Beyond, two important possibilities of analyzing linguistic signs and language are proposed: a sign inter- nal and a sign related analysis. In a second step, arbitrariness and motivation are correlated to the two ]processes of analyzing a language. In a last step, the thesis will be exemplified.

2 Language and the Linguistic Sign

2.1 Simplex and Complex

A first important distinction has to be made between simplex and complex signs. Simp- lex or simple lexical units are basic words that neither are part of a composition, nor a deri- vate. Simplex consist of a root only and have no affixes added. They can be the basis for fur- ther word formation processes. Complex or complex lexical units are composed lexemes or derivates consisting of several constituent units. The elements of a complex can be either simplex, affixes or further complex signs. An idiom or a proverb can be called a complex sign, as well as the derivate <dancer>.

2.2 The Linguistic Sign

Ferdinand de Saussure established the structure of the linguistic sign as “a link between

… a concept and a sound pattern…These two elements are intimately linked and each trig- gers the other” (de Saussure, 1986, p. 66). A concept is a mental image of an object that ei- ther exists in the world or is just a figment of imagination. This image is realized by a sound pattern, though a sound pattern is not necessarily linked to articulation³. Concept and Sound Pattern are linked by convention (de Saussure, 1986, p. 68).

2.3 Language

Language consists of a huge amount of linguistic signs. These signs are constituents of an institutionalized, structured and arranged system. The structure of this system can be called its grammar. Linguistic signs are used to realize an unlimited number of concepts within the system. Those concepts can either be newly created or already exist, but modify senses…Without moving either lips or tongue, we can…recite silently a piece of verse’ (de Saussure, 1986, p. 66).

through time. Depending on the relation in which linguistic signs are arranged and con- nected, different concepts and ideas can be realized.

2.4 Sign Internal and Sign Related Analysis

Linguistic signs and the system of a language can be examined in two ways: (i) sign in- ternal and (ii) sign related.

The sign internal analysis reflects the relation between concept and sound pattern within one linguistic sign. It helps to analyze the meaning of simplex and complex lexical signs. In both cases, only the relation between concept and sound pattern is interesting for the sign internal analysis. External comparisons are disregarded.

The sign related analysis considers the arrangement and structure of linguistic signs within a specified complex utterance. It can be used to analyze the internal structure of a complex signs. Relations between constituent units are essential for the sign related analy- sis. Hence, external comparisons are the essence of this analysis.

3 Arbitrariness and Motivation

In the previous chapter, two possibilities of analyzing language and linguistic signs were introduced: Sign internal and sign related. Both help to understand the relation between arbitrariness and motivation. The following paragraphs correlate arbitrariness to the sign internal aspect and motivation to the sign related aspect of study.

3.1 Sign Internal Analysis and Arbitrariness

3.1.1 How to Define Arbitrariness

“The term [arbitrary] implies … that the signal is unmotivated: that is to say arbitrary in relation to its signification, with which it has no natural connexion in reality” (de Saussure, 1986, p. 68f). Concept and sound pattern are two sides of a coin existing only in combina- tion. In the English language the concept *TREE* is realized by /tri:/. In other languages, the same concept is realized by other lexemes: <baum>, <arbre>, <albero>⁴. Hence, the fact arouses that no natural cause exists, which combines a concept to a sound pattern. This ba- sic relation between the elements of a linguistic sign is called arbitrariness.

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¹ Linguistic form in this respect includes prosodic features like pitch and intonation.

² Iconicity and Motivation are used synonymously in the paper.

³ ‘A sound pattern is the hearer’s psychological impression of a sound, as given to him by the evidence of his

⁴ Examples are given in their graphemic appearance.