HUMAN LANGUAGE PROPERTIES

animals and human language

- Linguistics II - By Paula Bonina

Does human language have properties that make it so unique that it is quite unlike any other communication system and hence unlearnable by any other creature?

Consider human language vs animal communicationas a means of intentional communication.

the properties of human language

reflexivity

human

animal

Can use language to think and talk about language itself.

Cannot use the signals to talk about other signals.

displacement

animal

human

Communication is about here and now.

>> Can talk about past, present and future. >> Can talk about things that do not exist and human cannot see.

arbitrariness

human

animal

There is no "natural" connection between a linguistic form and its meaning.

There is a connection between the conveyed message and its signal used to convey it.

productivity

animal

human

Have only limited set of signals and each signal is fixed and related to particular objects.

Can create new words and utterances to describe new objects and situations.

CULTURAL TRANSMISSION

human

animal

Born with a set of specific signals that are produced instinctively.

Acquire a language in a culture with other speakers (not parental genes).

duality

human

animal

The communicative signals are fixed and cannot be broken into different parts.

>> Distinct sound. >> Distinct meaning. /n/ / i/ /b/ bin - nib

WOOF

other properties

>> vocal-auditory channel use>> speacilization >> non-directionality >> rapid fade >> reciprocity

source

-Yule, george-

"The Study of Language"6th Edition 2017

Thank you