语言符号任意性与象似性之争及其实质

纵观国内语言学界近20年来的争论,关于语言符号的性质,主要有三种看法:任意说、象似说、辩证说。争论主要集中在对“任意性“和“象似性“理解的分歧、象似性与任意性是否完全对立、音义之间是否是完全任意的等等。争论过程中,持任意观的学者往往用他们所理解的“任意性“来辩驳他们所认为的、范围缩小了的“象似性“;持象似观的学者往往用他们所理解的“象似性“来辩驳他们所认为的、范围扩大了的“任意性“。因此,语言符号任意性与象似性之争的实质,很大程度上是站在不同的哲学背景下对语言符号、任意性和象似性不同理解的争论。

The Dispute between Arbitrariness and Iconicity of Linguistic Signs and Its Nature

A broad survey of the disputes in the field of linguistics in China of the past 20 years shows that three theories stand out concerning the nature of linguistic signs, i.e. the theory of arbitrariness, the theory of iconicity and the dialectic theory. The disputes mainly focus on the different interpretations of arbitrariness and iconicity, whether the two are the two complete opposites, and whether the relationship between sound and meaning is absolutely arbitrary, etc. To a large degree, the nature of the...