What are iconic signs?

What are iconic signs?

• A. Signs that look like what they are referring to
• B. Signs that are chosen at random with no resemblance
• C. Signs that indicate sentence boundaries
• D. Signs that show how something is manipulated

Answer: (A)

Iconicity is when a sign’s form visually resembles its meaning. This means iconic signs look like what they refer to, which helps you guess the meaning from the sign’s appearance. For example, a sign that opens the hands as if turning pages conveys “book,” and a sign that brings the hand to the mouth imitates eating. So the idea being tested is that iconic signs resemble their referents. The other descriptions describe signs that don’t visually resemble their referents and instead reflect other aspects of sign use, such as marking boundaries or showing how something is manipulated.

Iconicity is when a sign’s form visually resembles its meaning. This means iconic signs look like what they refer to, which helps you guess the meaning from the sign’s appearance. For example, a sign that opens the hands as if turning pages conveys “book,” and a sign that brings the hand to the mouth imitates eating. So the idea being tested is that iconic signs resemble their referents. The other descriptions describe signs that don’t visually resemble their referents and instead reflect other aspects of sign use, such as marking boundaries or showing how something is manipulated.