3 THE PROPERTY OF LANGUAGE
3 THE PROPERTY OF LANGUAGE
George Yule (1996)
COMMUNICATIVE VERSUS INFORMATIVE:
* Communicative Signals: Vocal signals produced with sound to communicate or exchange information. (You say something so that you can get something done or communicated)
* Informative Signals: Physical or signals that let the other people know something about us without having to say anything. (They know you have a cold because you sneeze...)
SIX UNIQUE PROPERTIES OF HUMAN LANGUAGE: Focuses on:
- how the following features are manifested in human language.
- how these features are uniquely a part of human language and unlikely to be found in the communication systems of the other creatures.
1. Displacement: A property of human language which allows the users of language to talk about things and events not present in the immediate environment. We can refer to now, past and future time, and to the other locations.
2. Arbitrariness: There is no “natural” connection between a linguistic form and its meaning. A property of linguistic signs is their arbitrary relationship with the objects they are used to indicate. (They do not, in any way, fit the objects they denote)
3. Productivity (or Creativity or Open-endedness): A property of linguistic ability that enable the language-users to manipulate their linguistic resources to produce new expressions and new sentences.
- Fixed reference: The fixed linguistic ability of animals as relating to a particular object or occasion only.
4. Cultural transmission: The fact that one acquires a language in a culture with other speakers and not from parental genes. This cultural transmission of a specific language is crucial in the human acquisition process.
5. Discreteness: The sounds used in language are meaningfully distinct. (/p/, /b/; pack and back are pronounced differently and this leads to a distinction in meaning)
6. Duality or Double Articulation: Language is organized at two levels or layers simultaneously. At one level, we have distinct sounds, and, at another level, we have distinct meanings. This duality enables us to produce a very large number of sound combinations which are distinct in meaning. (n, b, i have distinct sounds but none of them has intrinsic meaning. When we combine them nib, bin we have another level with distinct meaning each.)
OTHER PROPERTIES:
1. Vocal-auditory Channel: Communication is generated via vocal organs and perceived via the ears, and also through writing and gesture.
2. Reciprocity: Any speaker/sender of a linguistic signal can also be a listener/receiver.
3. Specialization: Linguistic signals do not normally serve any other type of purpose, such as breathing or feeding.
4. Non-directionality: Linguistic signals can be picked up by anyone within hearing, even unseen.
5. Rapid Fade: Linguistic signals are produced and disappear quickly.
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Study Questions:
1. Can you briefly explain what the term Arbitrariness means as it is used to describe a property of human language?
Arbitrariness refers the absence of natural connection between the linguistic from and their meanings. In other words, from looking at the symbols used in writing alone, one cannot really see the meanings the symbols refer.
2. Which term is used to describe the ability of human language-users to discuss topics which are remote in space and time?
Displacement
3. Is the fact that linguistic signals do not normally serve any other type of purpose, such as feeding, a good reason to consider this a unique property of human language?
No, because some other animals also own this property. Vervet monkeys use the language to warn each other of danger, not just for feeding.
George Yule (1996: 23)
4. What is the term used to describe the fact that, in a language, we can have different meanings for the three words tack, act and cat, yet, in each case, use the same basic set of sounds?
Duality or Double articulation
5. What kind of evidence supports the idea that language is culturally transmitted?
A Filipino child who is brought up by Cambodian parents will speak Khmer.
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