For the vast majority of words, the connection between the symbols and the meanings:
A) always follows an algorithm.
B) is completely determined by linguistic rules.
C) is completely arbitrary.
D) is completely determined by syntactic rules.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The connection between symbols and meanings of most words in language is completely arbitrary, meaning that there is no inherent relationship between the word and its meaning. This is why languages vary greatly in their vocabulary, and why it takes time and effort to learn a new language's vocabulary. There are some exceptions where the connection between symbols and meanings follows an algorithm or is determined by linguistic or syntactic rules, but these are relatively rare compared to the arbitrary connections between most words and their meanings.

For the Vast Majority of Words, the Connection Between the Symbols