TSLB 3013 – TUTORIAL 2

1. “Language is more arbitrary than iconicity”. Discuss.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4123678/

Arbitrary Iconicity
Origin of speech Iconicity as a general property of language:
HOCKETT CF evidence from spoken and signed languages.
Sci Am. 1960 Sep; 203():89-96. Perniss P, Thompson RL, Vigliocco G
Front Psychol. 2010; 1():227.

 One of the central ‘design features’ of  First, through absolute iconic

human language is that the relationship representation where some feature of
between the sound of a word and its the language directly imitates the
meaning is arbitrary referent, as in onomatopoeia.
 For example, incorporating the sound
that a dog makes into the sign for the
sound itself (i.e. woof woof) is one
example of this absolute iconicity.
 Second, the sound–meaning mapping
could be an instance of relative
iconicity, where statistical regularities
can be detected between similar
sounds and similar meanings though
these may not be restricted to imitative
forms.
 In this case, the iconicity is not
transparent, but is generally only
observable once knowledge of the
sound- and meaning-relationships is
determined. 

2. What do you understand by the term ‘true language’?

Human use any symbols or signs which can be understand by other human to communicate and
transfer information. But, still it can be fully understood by them either through intra and inter
process of communication.

3. Discuss the above opinion in context of nature and function of Language.

1. It helps us deliver messages, describes things, and give our listener new information.
2. It helps us to express attitudes, feelings, impressions.
3. It used to induce certain actions or reactions.
4. For aesthetic function to serve neither as a request nor as a message.