Motivation is a term used by Ferdinand de Saussure to denote that the connection between the signifier and the signified is in no way entirely arbitrary, that there is a “reasonable” motive for the connection between a signifier and a signified.
Arbitrariness is a term used to denote the lack of motivation in the connection between signifier and signified.
For Saussure, symbols are signs in which the connection between the signifier and the signified is motivated or not arbitrary.
Using his own example, the acceptance of scales as symbolizing the court of law is motivated, as the signifier is similar to what it means (the assumption that jurors weigh evidence in court), while the word “court” does not bear such a similarity.
