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Questions and Answers
Which property of language refers to the lack of physical correspondence between linguistic forms and their referents?
What is the term used to describe the organization of language on two levels of patterning?
Which linguistic property allows humans to talk about past and future events?
What concept illustrates that language can create many expressions using a small set of rules?
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Transferability in language encompasses which of the following forms?
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Which property of human language contributes to its infinite capacity for meaningful sequences?
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In the context of language properties, what defines the term 'arbitrariness'?
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Which of these properties of language allows for communication of complex abstract concepts?
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Study Notes
Properties of Human Language
- Human languages share five key properties that set them apart from other forms of communication. These properties are: arbitrariness, transferability, duality, displacement, and creativity.
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Arbitrariness: There is usually no connection between the sound of a word and the object it represents. For instance, "box" does not sound like a box.
- Exceptions to this rule are onomatopoeic words, which imitate the sounds they describe, such as "buzz," "hiss," and "rattle."
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Transferability: Human language can be expressed in three forms: speech, writing, and sign language.
- Speech uses sounds, writing uses symbols for sounds, and sign language uses visual gestures. All forms of language are equally important in expressing ideas.
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Duality: Language has two levels of structure:
- The lower level consists of phonemes, which are the basic sounds of language (e.g., /b/, /i/, /g/).
- The higher level combines phonemes into morphemes, which carry meaning (e.g., "big").
- This dual structure allows for a practically infinite number of meaningful language sequences.
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Displacement: Language allows us to communicate about things that are not present in the current time and place.
- We can discuss the past, future, or events happening elsewhere.
- Words remain valid even without visual support, enabling us to discuss events beyond our immediate surroundings.
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Creativity: Humans can constantly create new expressions using existing language resources to describe new situations.
- This means we can generate a huge amount of language by utilizing a limited set of rules.
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Description
Explore the five key properties that distinguish human language from other forms of communication. This quiz covers arbitrariness, transferability, duality, displacement, and creativity, providing insights into how these elements shape our understanding of language. Test your knowledge on the unique characteristics that make human language so versatile and complex.
