【正确答案】正确答案：Language is arbitrary in the sense that there is no intrinsic connection between a linguistic symbol and what the symbol stands for, and between the sounds that people use and the objects to which these sounds refer, for instance, between the word "pen" and the thing we write with.(4 points)This phenomenon explains and is explained by the fact that different languages have different words for the same object, which is a good illustration of the arbitrary nature of language. Another good example is the fact that different sounds are used to refer to the same object in different languages. It is only our tacit agreement of utterance and concept at work and not any innate relationship bound up in the utterance.(4 points)A typical example to illustrate the arbitrary of language is a famous quotation from Shakespeare"s play Romeo and Juliet; A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.(2 points)

【答案解析】解析：考查语言的任意性特征。语言的任意性特征是指语言符号的形式与所表示的意义之间没有天然的联系。语言符号的音义联系并非是本质的、必然的，而是由社会成员共同约定的。一种意义为什么要用这个声音形式，而不用那种声音形式，这中间没有什么道理可言，完全是偶然的、任意的。语言符号和客观事物之间没有必然联系。