Which term describes signs chosen at random with no resemblance to their referent?

Which term describes signs chosen at random with no resemblance to their referent?

• A. Iconic signs
• B. Classifiers
• C. Arbitrary signs
• D. Phonology

Answer: (C)

Arbitrariness is what describes signs chosen with no resemblance to their referent. In sign languages, many signs draw a visual cue from the referent (iconic signs), like using a motion that imitates the action or shape of something. But signs that are arbitrary have no inherent link between their form and what they mean; their shape, handshape, or movement doesn’t resemble the referent, and people rely on convention to know what word it represents. That conventional, non-representational form is what makes signs arbitrary. Other options don’t fit because iconic signs depend on resemblance to the referent, classifiers are a specific grammatical tool for conveying properties and categories through handshapes and movements, and phonology concerns the system and structure of signs themselves rather than a type of sign.

Arbitrariness is what describes signs chosen with no resemblance to their referent. In sign languages, many signs draw a visual cue from the referent (iconic signs), like using a motion that imitates the action or shape of something. But signs that are arbitrary have no inherent link between their form and what they mean; their shape, handshape, or movement doesn’t resemble the referent, and people rely on convention to know what word it represents. That conventional, non-representational form is what makes signs arbitrary.

Other options don’t fit because iconic signs depend on resemblance to the referent, classifiers are a specific grammatical tool for conveying properties and categories through handshapes and movements, and phonology concerns the system and structure of signs themselves rather than a type of sign.