Language is a fundamental aspect of human communication and interaction. It has evolved from abstract symbols to a systematic form of communication, with over 7,100 languages spoken worldwide. Human language enables individuals to convey thoughts, emotions, and information through oral-auditory arbitrary symbols. While languages may differ significantly, they all share common design elements and structural qualities. In this article, we will explore the properties of human language in detail, highlighting its distinct characteristics and discussing theories about its origin and development.

I. Reflexivity: Language’s Ability to Reflect on Itself

• Reflexivity refers to language’s unique property that allows humans to use language to think and talk about language itself.
• This characteristic sets human language apart from animal communication, as it enables individuals to examine and reflect on the development and application of language.
• While animals communicate in their own ways, they do not possess the capacity for reflexivity, which involves metalinguistic awareness and self-reflection.

II. Displacement: Talking About the Past and Future

• Displacement is a crucial property of human language that allows individuals to refer to past and future events, extending beyond the present moment.
• Humans can discuss entities and locations that may not be physically present, such as angels, fairies, and abstract concepts like heaven and hell.
• Animal communication, on the other hand, is primarily focused on the present moment and does not exhibit the ability to connect events occurring at a distance in time or space.

III. Arbitrariness: The Lack of Inherent Connection between Words and Meanings

• Arbitrariness is a fundamental feature of human language where there is no natural or inherent connection between linguistic signs (words) and their meanings.
• Different languages may use different words to represent the same concept. For example, the word for “one, two, three” in English is different from “yi, er, san” in Chinese.
• Even onomatopoeic words, which are intended to resemble the sounds they represent, vary across languages. For instance, a dog’s bark is represented as “bow wow” in English, “bho bho” in Hindi, “mung mung” in Korean, and “gav” in Greek.
• This property highlights the arbitrary nature of language and demonstrates that there is no intrinsic advantage or disadvantage to one language’s word arrangement over another.

IV. Productivity: Endless Possibilities of Utterances

• Productivity, also known as creativity or open-endedness, is a defining quality of human language that allows for the creation of new expressions and novel utterances.
• Humans can invent new terms by modifying existing linguistic resources to describe novel objects and situations.
• This property ensures that there is an infinite number of possible utterances in all human languages, constantly expanding the language’s capabilities.
• In contrast, animal communication systems are limited in scope and do not exhibit the same level of productivity as human language.

V. Cultural Transmission: Language Learning through Social Interaction

• Cultural transmission refers to the process through which a language is passed down from one generation to the next within a community of speakers.
• Language acquisition is a learned activity and not inherently given through genetic inheritance.
• Unlike physical traits that individuals inherit from their parents, linguistic traits are acquired through exposure to a specific language community.
• This property explains why an infant born to Korean parents but raised by English-speaking parents in the United States will grow up speaking English, not Korean.

VI. Duality: Organization at Two Levels

• Duality, also known as double articulation, is a characteristic of human language where it is simultaneously organized at two levels.
• At the physical level, individual sounds (phonemes) are produced, but they do not have inherent meaning on their own.

• At the combination level, these distinct sounds are combined to form meaningful units such as words, which have different meanings.
• This duality of levels allows humans to create diverse sound combinations using a limited set of sounds, making language efficient and versatile.

Other Features of Human Language

• Vocal-Auditory Channel: Human verbal communication primarily utilizes the vocal organs and is perceived through the auditory channel. However, written language allows communication without sound.
• Directional Reception and Broadcast Transmission: Auditory signals can be heard by any system within earshot, and the source can be determined through the direction-finding abilities of the ears.
• Rapid Fading: Auditory communication is transient and does not wait for the convenience of the listener.
• Interchangeability: Language signals can be produced and understood by both the speaker/sender and the listener/receiver.
• Total Response: Speakers can hear and reflect on what they say, allowing for feedback and adjustment during communication.
• Specialization: Language is specialized for conveying meaning, differentiating it from other forms of communication like music, which serves different purposes.

Theories on the Origin of Human Language

• Divine Source: Some religious beliefs attribute the origin of language to a divine source, associating it with the creation of humans.
• Bow-wow Theory: This theory suggests that language originated from imitations of natural sounds. Early words may have resembled the noises early humans heard around them.
• Yo-he-ho Theory: According to this theory, language developed from sounds produced during physical effort, such as lifting heavy objects. It emphasizes the social context of language development.
• Physical Adaptation: The physical adaptation theory posits that the human brain’s gradual improvement and unique vocal system contributed to the origin of speech. It suggests that language developed as humans developed complex cognitive abilities and began making tools.
• Innateness Hypothesis: Linguists propose that humans possess specialized “language genes” that are responsible for the development of complex language systems. This hypothesis emphasizes the biological basis of language acquisition.

Human language is a remarkable and complex system of communication. Its properties, including reflexivity, displacement, arbitrariness, productivity, cultural transmission, and duality, distinguish it from animal communication systems. The study of human language encompasses its structure, diversity, and unique characteristics. While theories on the origin of language provide different perspectives, the precise origins of human language remain uncertain. Further research and exploration of language properties will continue to deepen our understanding of this essential aspect of human communication.