Language...its all arbitrary

For the past few weeks I feel like I have been sitting in class and feeling like I have not been comprehending anything. As soon as I thought I understood something it would just fly out the window so to speak. So finally, I think that by reading about post-structuralism I now understand structuralism.

How does any object whether it is a tree, a jacket, a shoe, or a bird for example have their particular name? Why cant a bird be called a 'wallet'? For the longest time this question has always boggled my mind. Now let me take a stab at this from a structuralists perspective.

Structuralists believe that reality is created through both language and construction of signs. We can see this by the relation between the signifer and the signified. As Saussure stated, "the bond between the signifier and the signified is radically arbitrary."

Let me take the example that we had in class using a tree. The signifier was the word 'tree' as it is said and seen. The signified is the concept of the image of a tree. It is then through language we can agree on the sign.

I find it interesting that throughout all the different languages that exist in the world this 'equation' can still be applied signs. Though from country to country words for objects will change but they all represent a common sign. Without a language there would not be any meaning for anything, a reality wouldnt exist. And what is life without a reality? Basically nothing.