Wow! I really enjoy reading your posts. They are very comprehensive. Regarding the arbitrariness of language, the only words that seem not to have an arbitrary relation with the non-linguistic world they represent are the onomatopeic ones as they imitate the sound of the things that they define.
In communication , as it is in translation non-linguistic meaning (paralanguage) is of tantamount importance .
Another example about chronemics I would like to add , if you'll excuse me, is about the notion of time in the Navajo culture . Compared to the mainstream culture, they seem to be slow at everything. Acomplishing things takes the time it takes . For them, hurrying is an unfamiliar concept. Thanks again.