语言学翻译原文

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1、1.2Semiotics:somebasicnotions1.2.1IconicitySignscangenerallybeclassifiedasiconicorarbitrary.Iconicsignsarethosewhoseformsmirrortheirmeaningsinsomerespect;signswithnonaturalanalogicalcorrespondencesbetweentheirformsandtheirmeaningsarecalledarbitrary.AsimpleexampleisprovidedbytheArabica

2、ndRomannumeralsfor"three":3andIII.TheArabicformgivesnocluetoitsmeaning;theRomanversion,ontheotherhand,incorporates"threeness"intoitsshape,andisthusiconic.Iconicityisamatterofdegree,andusuallycoexistswithsomedegreeofarbitrariness.ThreehorizontallineswouldbejustasiconicastheRomanIII:the

3、factthatintheRomansymbolthelinesareverticalisarbitrary,asisthefactthatitssizecorrespondstothatofletters.Iconicityenterslanguageinseveralguises.Themajorityofwordsinanaturallanguagearearbitrary:theformoftheworddog,forinstance,doesnotmirroritsmeaninginanyrespect.However,theso-calledonoma

4、topoeicwordsdisplayadegreeoficonicity,inthattheirsoundsaresuggestive(tovaryingdegrees)oftheirmeanings:bangclanktinklemiaowsplashcuckoopeewitcurlewwhooshthudcrackringwheezehowlrumble,etc.Thepredominanceofarbitrarinessinthevocabularyisnotanaccidentalfeature,butisacrucial'designfeature'o

5、fnaturallanguage.Thereisalimitedstockofdimensionsofformalvariationinlinguisticsigns;ifallsignswereiconic,itisdifficulttoseehowuniversalexpressivitycouldbeachieved.Someiconicityisalsoapparentingrammar.Forinstance,wordswhichbelongtogethertendtooccurtogether.InThetallboykissedtheyounggir

6、lweknowthattallmodifiesboyandnotgirlbecausetallandboycomenexttoeachotherinthesentence.Insomelanguagesthisrelationshipmightbeshownbygrammaticalagreement,whichisakindofresemblance,andthereforealsoiconic.Anotherwayinwhichiconicityappearsinthegrammaristhatgrammaticalcomplexitybyandlargemi

7、rrorssemanticcomplexity.1.2.2ConventionalityManyofthesignsusedbyhumansincommunicationarenaturalinthesensethattheyarepartofgeneticallyinheritedbiologicalmake-upanddonothavetobelearned,althoughamaturationalperiodmaybenecessarybeforetheyappearinanindividual,andtheymaybemouldedinvariouswa

8、ystof