Properties of Human Language
Properties of Human Language
Properties of Human Language
HUMAN
LANGUAGE
COMMUNICATION
C O M M U N I C AT I V E S I G N A L S I N F O R M AT I V E S I G N A L S
• Intentional communication. Behaviour • Behaviour that provides information,
used intentionally to provide usually unintentionally.
communication. Example: body language
GLOSSOLALIA
Also known as “speaking in tongues”
(Pentecost), it is the production of sounds and
syllables in a stream of speech that seems to
have no communicative purpose, as the
speaker has no control of it.
PROPERTIES OF
HUMAN LANGUAGE
REFLEXIVITY
The key aspect that differentiates us from
animals is that we can use language to think and
talk about language. Animals do communicate
with each other, but dogs don’t reflect on the
type of bark they use on each occasion.
DISPLACEMENT
C H I M PA N Z E E S A N D L A N G U A G E
CHIMPANZEES AND LANGUAGE