 ##  [Arbitrariness of the Sign](/index.php/arbitrariness-sign) 

  ##  [Arbitrariness of the Sign](https://humanitites.quantumdictionary.io/arbitrariness-sign-0) 

  

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**Humanities &amp; Arts Dictionary**

 







 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

Definition

The Saussurean principle that, for a language system, the conventional link between a signifier (sound pattern or form) and its signified (concept or referent) is not intrinsically motivated by natural resemblance but established by social convention; the form‑meaning pairing is contingent rather than determined by an inherent relationship.