The key points are:
1, linear. Language symbols are sounds made by vocal organs. This series of sounds sounds simultaneously.
In the room, it always and only appears in the form of a line, that is, one voice after another appears, just like a line.
Chains are connected one by one, not two sounds at the same time. This is the linearity of language symbols.
2. arbitrariness. What kind of pronunciation did people in the linguistic social group initially use to mark an objective thing and refer to it?
Things get meaning, which is arbitrary. For example, animals that can make labor tools are called René in Chinese and adem in Uygur.
The English name is man. Therefore, Marx said: "The name of things is completely external to the essence of things." This is the meaning of language symbols.
Intention.
The arbitrariness of language symbols refers to what kind of phonetic form people use to mark objective things at first, not to people's understanding of objective things.
An arbitrary interpretation of semantic content. Semantic content is the reflection of objective things in people's minds, which is endowed by the characteristics of objective things themselves.
It is the result of people's thinking activities and cognitive activities. If the semantic content is arbitrary, there is no basis for mutual understanding.
In that case, the exchange of ideas in human society will become impossible, and language will lose its role as a communication tool.
3. Invariance. What kind of phonetic form people use to mark objective things at first is arbitrary, but once it is established by society,
After being transmitted among people who use the language group, they lose their "freedom" and individuals cannot change it at will. For example,
Once a Chinese-speaking social group is called Ren, individuals can't change their names at will. material
In fact, once language is placed in the social field, it is the most important communication tool for the synchronization of human society.
The right to change language symbols. You can only refer to things according to the name of society and use them according to the semantics of social understanding.
Can achieve the purpose of communication. In this respect, language is different from artificial and contractual symbols. Language cannot be decided by a majority.
Discuss, change some rules or transplant some rules. People can only say this and use it according to their existing mother tongue. So the language of * * *
Phonetic symbols are immutable.
4. variability However, as long as we compare modern Chinese with ancient Chinese, we will find that there is a qualitative difference between them.
Don't. For example, modern Chinese is called "eye", but ancient Chinese is called "eye"; Modern Chinese says "playing chess" and ancient Chinese says "playing chess"
",and so on. It can be seen that language symbols have a changeable side.