Questions and Answers
What is the primary reason why there are multiple languages in the world?
What is the significance of symbols in language?
What is the function of language in a community?
What is the characteristic of language that enables it to nourish and develop culture?
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What is the implication of language being arbitrary?
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What is the relationship between language and thought?
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What is the primary function of the systematic arrangement of language?
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What is the relationship between language and culture?
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Study Notes
Language is Arbitrary
- There is no inherent relation between words and their meanings or the ideas they convey.
- The choice of a word to represent a particular thing or idea is purely arbitrary.
- Examples: "woman" in English, "aurat" in Urdu, "Zen" in Persian, and "Femine" in French.
- If language weren't arbitrary, there would be only one language in the world.
Language is Social
- Language is a set of conventional communicative signals used by humans for communication in a community.
- Language is a possession of a social group, comprising an indispensable set of rules.
- It permits members to relate to each other, interact, and cooperate with each other.
- Language is a social institution that nourishes and develops culture and establishes human relations.
Language is Symbolic
- Language consists of sound symbols and their graphological counterparts.
- These symbols are arbitrarily chosen and conventionally accepted and employed.
- Words are not mere signs or figures, but symbols of meaning.
- Intelligibility of a language depends on a correct interpretation of these symbols.
Language is Systematic
- Language is symbolic, yet its symbols are arranged in a particular system.
- Every language has its system of arrangements, including phonological and grammatical systems.
- Within these systems, there are several sub-systems, such as:
- Morphological and syntactic systems
- Systems of plural, mood, aspect, and tense
- Other sub-systems within the grammatical system
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Description
This quiz explores the concept of arbitrariness in language, where words and their meanings are unrelated. It discusses how different languages have different words for the same concept.