本文從Saussure提出「語言符號是任意的」此一原則出發，探討任意性分別對語言符號所做的「破」與「立」。在任意性「破」的部份指出，對個別的語言符號而言，一來它與外在真實沒有對應關係，其次它自身中能指與所指之間沒有本質的聯結。在任意性「立」的部份說明，因為語言系統提供了規則限制，讓語言符號即使在任意性的原則之下，仍然有章法可循而不致陷入混亂狀態。在文章的最後，則應用Saussure的理論，試圖替傳播研究在解釋改名運動時帶來啟發。

　　Starting from the concept of arbitrariness as postulated by Saussure, this article will examine how the concept of arbitrariness leads to the departure from the previous linguistic theories and to the rise of new thinking in linguistics. In contrast to the pre-Saussurean linguistics, the concept of arbitrariness argues that sign does not correspond to reality, and as a corollary, that the signifier has no natural connection with the signified. In addition, the concept of arbitrariness points out to the constraints in the process of signification. To illustrate, this article applies Saussure's linguistics to examine the mechanism of the name-changing campaign in Taiwan.