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Linguistic iconism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 April 2026

Roger W. Wescott
Roger W. Wescott*
Affiliation:
Drew University
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Abstract

Since at least the time of Ferdinand de Saussure, most linguists have insisted that language is a system of exclusively symbolic—that is, arbitrary—signs. There is, however, growing evidence that language contains many elements which are iconic—that is, imitative of non-linguistic reality.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Language , Volume 47 , Issue 2 , June 1971 , pp. 416 - 428
Copyright
Copyright © 1971 Linguistic Society of America

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