JOINT ACTION OF LANGUAGE SIGN CONVENTIONALITY AND MOTIVATEDNESS AS A FACTOR OF ITS ARBITRARINESS

The article is aimed at ascertaining the joint effect of language sign conventionality and motivation on its arbitrariness. Examples are given to show how partial arbitrariness of language signs’ usage augments the natural language functional potential. A conclusion is drawn that partial arbitrariness of language signs, arising from the combination of their partial motivation and partial conventionality, gives natural language flexibility, semantic mobility and situational adaptability. The article is addressed to all those who take an interest in the issues of General Linguistics and Linguistic Semiology.