Arbitrariness of Language - Assignment Example

Such confusion happens because speech sounds and meanings relate arbitrarily. In other words, there is no rational and logical relationship between speech sounds and meanings.

The Portuguese model can best illustrate language arbitrariness. The similarity in words should not be an issue, and neither should the words be understandable to a foreigner. However, the tribesmen need to understand what words mean. The Portuguese words Tigre-dente-de-sabre mean a saber-toothed tiger. These words are the signifier. Suppose one was to go back 40 years and ask a Portuguese where to find a tiger with a saber tooth, he or she would have no idea about it. The reason is that there is no connection between the words and the animal in question. Maybe one would wonder how the words are signified or related to the animal.

According to Tomasello, every sign is arbitrary and has conventional associations, which have been established by a social rule (Tomasello 87). At first, one could argue that the statement is completely flawed, especially when onomatopoeic words are concerned. However, when one looks gives a detailed look at specific languages, one will notice certain differences. For instance, cock-a-doodle-doo is the English representation of a cock’s crowing whereas cocorico is the French version of the same. It is unlikely that cocks in Britain and France crow differently.

In conclusion, all languages are arbitrary but it does not mean they are unpredictable. Precisely, arbitrariness means that one cannot exactly predict specific features that can be found in a language. It is impossible to predict what sounds will occur. Languages have systems that differentiate sounds and meanings. Not every new concept necessitates the creation of a new word. The wing of a plane, for instance, was lifted from the wing of a bird. Moreover, a banker and a baker sound almost the same but they mean different things.