I am having a hard time understanding a word this is used to show me one of the key features of language.
can anyone give an example or explain this to me because i am real confused I was at an understanding that Arbitrary was somethig said that was not true to describe something. Please Help here is what we was given.
Arbitrary: The relationship between the elements in the language and their meaning is arbitrary. There is no special reason the word chair must have the referent that it does. It would be perfectly acceptable for the utterance table to have the referent that chair now does. The word big doesn’t have to be in some sense “bigger” than the word minuscule.
Arbitrariness is a key feature of symbols. A sound stands for a meaning,
but which sound stands for which meaning is arbitrary.
from http://www.thesaurus.com
Main Entry: arbitrary
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: whimsical, chance
Synonyms: approximate, capricious, discretionary, erratic, fanciful, frivolous, inconsistent, injudicious, irrational, irresponsible, offhand, optional, random, subjective, supercilious, superficial, unaccountable, unreasonable, unscientific, wayward, willful
The easiest way to think of the word "arbitrary" I think, is "open to question". If something can be open to question(not set) , then the answer would be "arbitrary"..
The concept of arbitrariness in language refers to the idea that there is no inherent or logical connection between the form (sound or written word) of a word and its meaning. In other words, the relationship between the elements in a language, such as words, and the concepts they represent is arbitrary.
For example, let's consider the word "chair." There is no inherent reason why the word "chair" should refer to the object we sit on, and in another language, a completely different word might be used to refer to the same object. Similarly, the word "big" does not have to be larger in any objective sense than the word "minuscule." The specific sounds or combinations of letters used to represent these concepts are not logically connected to their meanings.
To understand this concept, you can try experimenting with different words or sounds to represent the same meaning. For instance, you can think about how a chair could have been called a "table" or any other word, and it would still serve the same purpose. This demonstrates that the relationship between the word and its meaning is not determined by any inherent necessity or truth.
Overall, arbitrariness is a fundamental aspect of language because it allows for flexibility and creativity in how we communicate. It means that we have the freedom to assign meanings to words, sounds, or written symbols as long as there is mutual understanding within a particular language community.