The Properties of Human Language

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The Properties of Human Language

• Yule, George (1996).The Study of Language.
  Cambridge Cambridge University Press.

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The Properties of Human Language

• Unique system of communication
• Informative signals signals which you have not
  intentionally sent ? body language
• Communicative signals signals you use
  intentionally to communicate something

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The Properties of Human Language

• (1) DISPLACEMENT
• human language can refer to past and future time
  and to other locations
• bee language dance routine to communicate the
  location of nectar

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(2) ARBITRARINESS

• no natural connection between linguistic form and
  its meaning
• arbitrary relationship between linguistic signs
  and objects of the real world (no iconic
  relationship)

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(3) PRODUCTIVITY/ CREATIVITY

• a child learning a language is active in forming
  and producing utterances it has never heard
  before
• a language user can manipulate his linguistic
  resources? open endedness

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(4) CULTURAL TRANSMISSION

• We acquire language with other speakers -? not
  from parental genes
• Language is passed on from one generation to the
  next

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(5) DISCRETENESS

• The sounds used in a language are meaningfully
  distinct
• e.g. pack back
• pin - bin
• Difference in pronunciation between /p/ and /b/
  sound leads to a difference in meaning

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(6) DUALITY

• Language is organised on two levels
• Physical level at which we can produce individual
  sounds e.g. n, b, i.
• Meaning level when we produce sounds in
  combination e.g. nib, bin

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(7) SEMANTICITY

• Language carries meaning

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(8) STRUCTURE DEPENDENCE

• Language is dependent on structure ? syntactical
  rules