【正确答案】The relation between sound and meaning can be classified in terms of arbitrariness and duality, two design features of language.
By arbitrariness, we mean that there is no logical connection between sound and meaning, the two subsystems of language. But language is not absolutely arbitrary, there is a matter of convention existing between sound and meaning, e.g., onomatopoeia.
By duality is meant the language property of having two levels of structures: meaningful units and meaningless segments (e.g. sounds).
The only function of finite sounds is to combine with one another to form units that having meaning, such as words, and with thousands of words we associate infinite meanings with the help of some rules.

【答案解析】[解析] 本题通过音、意关系的探讨，考查考生对语言定义特征中的任意性和二重性的把握。任意性认为语言的音、意间没有天然的联系，但同时也并不否定它们之间存在一定的规约性。语言的二重性特点不仅构筑了音、意间的紧密关系，同时也更好地阐释了“有限的语音，无限的意义”这一重要命题。