The semiotician's answer to this is it never could have happened simply as an act of agency, as an act of will.

符号学者这样解释,这不是一己之力的结果。

耶鲁公开课 - 文学理论导论课程节选

Delta v is positive in this direction here, the work is negative. So work on the system is positive. Work done by the system is negative.

功是负的，总而言之,外界对系统做功的符号为正。

麻省理工公开课 - 热力学与动力学课程节选

And what this means is we can use --take any arbitrary idea in the world, the idea of a chair or a story or a country, and make a sound or a sign to connect to it.

符号任意性是指,我们可以拿来世间任何想法,比如椅子,故事,或是国家,再发明一种声音或符号来与之相联系

耶鲁公开课 - 心理学导论课程节选