| Abstract | 第1-6页 |
| 摘要 | 第6-10页 |
| Introduction | 第10-12页 |
| Chapter 1 Debates on the Nature of Linguistic Signs | 第12-23页 |
| ·The Debates Before Saussure | 第12-15页 |
| ·The Naturalists vs. the Conventionists in Ancient Greece | 第12-13页 |
| ·Nomenclaturism in the Middle Ages | 第13页 |
| ·Leibnitz vs. Locke in 17th and 18th century | 第13-14页 |
| ·Humboldt vs. Whitney in 19th century | 第14-15页 |
| ·The Debates Since Saussure | 第15-23页 |
| ·The Debates Abroad | 第15-19页 |
| ·Views Held by Advocates of the Principle of Arbitrariness | 第15-17页 |
| ·Views Opposed to the Principle of Arbitrariness | 第17-19页 |
| ·The Debates at Home | 第19-23页 |
| ·Views Held by Advocates of the Principle of Arbitrariness | 第19-20页 |
| ·Views Opposed to the Principle of Arbitrariness | 第20-23页 |
| Chapter 2 Clarification of the Concept of Arbitrariness | 第23-41页 |
| ·The Two Components of a Linguistic Sign | 第24-28页 |
| ·Saussure’s Explanation | 第24-27页 |
| ·Contemporary Linguists’ Explanations | 第27-28页 |
| ·Saussure’s Absolute Arbitrariness | 第28-32页 |
| ·Saussure’s Explanation | 第28-30页 |
| ·Different Explanations on Saussure’s Absolute Arbitrariness | 第30-32页 |
| ·Saussure’s Relative Arbitrariness | 第32-34页 |
| ·Factors Restricting Arbitrariness | 第34-36页 |
| ·Arbitrariness and Conventionality | 第34-35页 |
| ·Arbitrariness and Systematicity | 第35-36页 |
| ·The Epistemological Basis of Saussure’s Arbitrariness | 第36-38页 |
| ·Saussure’s Perspective on the Relation Between Language and Reality | 第38-41页 |
| Chapter 3 Clarification of the Concept of Iconicity | 第41-54页 |
| ·Peircean Model of the Taxonomy of Signs | 第41-43页 |
| ·Symbols | 第42页 |
| ·Indices | 第42-43页 |
| ·Icons | 第43页 |
| ·The Classification of Icons | 第43-44页 |
| ·The Classification of Iconicity | 第44-54页 |
| ·Imagic Iconicity | 第45-50页 |
| ·Diagrammatic Iconicity | 第50-52页 |
| ·Metaphorical Iconicity | 第52-54页 |
| Chapter 4 Clarification of the Concept of Motivation | 第54-86页 |
| ·Traces of Language Motivation | 第54-65页 |
| ·Considerations on Language Motivation Abroad | 第54-57页 |
| ·The Primeval Considerations on Motivation in Religion and Myth | 第54-55页 |
| ·Philosophers’ Considerations on Motivation in Ancient Greece and Rome | 第55页 |
| ·Considerations on Motivation in the European Middle Ages | 第55-56页 |
| ·Considerations on Motivation in the Contemporary Euramerican Linguistic Research | 第56-57页 |
| ·Considerations on Language Motivation at Home | 第57-65页 |
| ·Considerations on Language Motivation Before the Qin Dynasty (Before 221 B.C) | 第58-59页 |
| ·Considerations on Language Motivation from the Qin Dynasty(221B.C—206B.C) to the Han Dynasty (206B.C—200A.C) | 第59-61页 |
| ·Considerations on Motivation in the Song Dynasty (960A.C—1279A.C) | 第61-62页 |
| ·Considerations on Language Motivation in the Qing Dynasty (1616A.C—1911A.C) | 第62-64页 |
| ·Considerations on Motivation by Contemporary Linguists | 第64-65页 |
| ·Different Views on Language Motivation | 第65-70页 |
| ·Interpretations from Different Scholars | 第65-70页 |
| ·The Author’s Interpretation | 第70页 |
| ·A Theoretical Issue Concerning Language Motivation—Inner Form62 | 第70-76页 |
| ·Categories of Language Motivation | 第76-85页 |
| ·Diachronic Classification of Motivation | 第79-82页 |
| ·Original Words and Their Motivations | 第79-80页 |
| ·Derivatives and Their Motivations | 第80页 |
| ·Compounds and Their Motivations | 第80-82页 |
| ·Synchronic Classification of Motivation | 第82-85页 |
| ·Sources of Language Motivation | 第85-86页 |
| Chapter 5 Complementarity Between Arbitrariness and Motivation | 第86-101页 |
| ·Motivation and Iconicity | 第86-87页 |
| ·Arbitrariness and Iconicity | 第87-89页 |
| ·Arbitrariness and Motivation | 第89-101页 |
| ·The Key Points of Saussure’s Arbitrary Principle | 第89-93页 |
| ·The Key Points of the Principle of Motivation | 第93-97页 |
| ·Complementarity Between Arbitrariness and Motivation | 第97-101页 |
| Conclusion | 第101-103页 |
| Bibliography | 第103-109页 |
| Acknowledgements | 第109-110页 |
| Resume | 第110页 |
