Features of Human Language

by Hockett
Language and humans

1. Features of Human Language by Hockett

WHAT ARE HOCKETT’S LANGUAGE FEATURES?

- A set of rules, chosen by Charles F. Hockett, defines human

communication and sets it apart from animal communication in other
words, the features help up differentiate between human language and
animal communication.
THE FEATURES

• VOCAL-AUDITORY CHANNEL- the human language usually occurs vocally.

The main idea of the human
language is hearing/speaking.

• BROADCAST TRANSMISSION AND DIRECTIONAL RECEPTION: when one

is speaking, the sounds he produces are being transmitted in all direction. However,
listeners perceive the sounds from the direction the sounds come from. We can see
it with signs too. When one is singing, he signs to anyone within the line of sight,
and they can all see him signing.

•TRANSITORINESS (RAPID FADING)- once we speak, the sound doesn’t exist

anymore. The sound waves we
create while speaking vanish quickly after we stop using speech language.
HOW SOUND FADES:

•INTERCHANGEABILITY: humans are not limited to a certain type of

signal. They can send and perceive identical
linguistic signals. For example: tom and Perry are having a little talk, tom
says, “ I’m a very funny man.” Perry
can also say, “I’m a very funny man.”

• TOTAL FEEDBACK: a speaker can control, modify and feel what he

says, as he says it. It goes for signals as
well.

•SPECIALIZATION: human sign each other to communicate, not to

perform a biological task. An example: A dog
pants sometimes to communicate with it’s owner, however dog pants in
order to cool itself, so he has a
biological purpose
•SEMANTICITY: specific signals that match specific meanings. Example: ‘er’ at the
end of a word is usually a
sign for a man with certain profession, such as: painter, writer, photographer.

•ARBITRARINESS: mostly there is no connection between the sign and its meaning.
In other words, the words
we use don’t match the objects they represent.

•DISCREETNESS- there are basic units of speech, which can be categorized. The
words are perceived
categorically and not continuously.

•DISPLACEMENT- humans can talk about things that are not currently happening,
such as future, past and
objects. The human speech is not limited to here and now. Example: “the singer will
visit dublin on may 2019,
last time he visited was last june.
•PRODUCTIVITY: through speech language, a speaker
can form a new sentence.

•TRADITIONAL TRANSMISSION: although language

capabilities are innate, language is learned by social
settings,
children learn to speak through interacting with language
speaker.

•DUALITY OF PATTERNING-meaningful words are

combined of small meaningful units that are combined of
small meaningless units.
•PREVARICATION- the ability to lie and deceive
using speech language.

•REFLEXIVENESS HUMANS- can use speech

language in order to talk about language. Example:
the whole field
of researching linguistics is reflexive.

• LEARNABILITY- language is both teachable,

and learnable. It can be taught, and it could be
learned