Question

When you think of a horse, you might think of a large four-legged animal that is powerful, can be ridden on, and sometimes participates in races. But there is no reason why that word, horse, was not assigned to mean "a large mammal that swims in the ocean." This is because the meanings of words are often assigned in a(n) _____________ fashion.

a) Arbitrary

b) Systematic

c) Logical

d) Alphabetical

Answer 1

The word "horse" is assigned its meaning in an arbitrary fashion. The assignment of word meanings does not inherently follow a systematic, logical or alphabetical approach, but is influenced by culture and social convention. This is a concept explored within the field of linguistics, particularly semantics.

Step-by-step explanation:

Arbitrary Word Meanings:

The meanings of words, such as "horse", are often assigned in a(n) arbitrary fashion. When we think of a horse, we might imagine a large four-legged animal that can be ridden and often participates in races. However, there's no inherent reason why the word "horse" could not have been used to describe "a large mammal that swims in the ocean". This illustrates that the process of lexical assignment doesn't necessarily follow a systematic, logical, or alphabetical method, but can be quite arbitrary, depending on various factors such as cultural development, linguistic evolution, and social convention.

For instance, the word "cow" brings to mind a four-legged herbivorous mammal, which is its denotation. However, its connotation might evoke thoughts of farm life or a glass of fresh milk, demonstrating that words carry not just literal meanings but also associative meanings shaped by context and experience. This concept falls under the study of semantics within the broader discipline of linguistics, which examines the relationship between signifiers—like words—and what they signify.