Week 4

• Human language


  • Qualitatively and quantitatively different from the communication systems of all other species of animals
  • Linguists have long tried to create a working definition that distinguishes it from non-human communication systems
• Hockett's Design Features


  Descriptive characteristics of the communication systems of all species, including that of humans
• Communication systems of all species share the following features

  • Mode of communication by which messages are transmitted through a system of signs, using one or more sensory systems to transmit and interpret, such as vocalauditory, visual, tactile, or kinesic
  • Semanticity: the signs carry meaning for the users
  • Pragmatic function: all signs serve a useful purpose in the life of the users, from survival functions to influencing others' behavior
• Only true human language also has the following characteristics

  • Discreteness: every human language is made up of a small number of meaningless discrete sounds
  • Duality of patterning (two levels of combination): at the first level of patterning, these meaningless discrete sounds, called phonemes, are combined to form words and parts of words that carry meaning, or morphemes. In the second level of patterning, morphemes are recombined to form an infinite possible number of longer messages such as phrases and sentences according to a set of rules called syntax
  • Displacement: the ability to communicate about things that are outside of the here and now
  • Productivity/creativity: the ability to produce and understand messages that have never been expressed before or to express new ideas
• A number of great apes, including gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, and orangutans, have been taught human sign languages with all of the human design features. In each case, the apes have been able to communicate as humans do to an extent, but their linguistic abilities are reduced by the limited cognitive abilities that accompany their smaller brains.
• Nonverbal communication


  • Body language, eye contact, gestures, posture, and facial expressions
  • Handwriting styles and emoticons
  • Emoticons serve to more clearly express a point or add context to what is being communicated since one's tone of voice and facial expressions cannot be seen at the time of viewing
  • Nonverbal communication can be an incredibly effective way of sending and receiving messages from person to person, especially in a foreign country
• Nonverbal communication


  • Pointing to your stomach or mouth to communicate hunger
  • Facial expressions
• Clothing


  • A form of communication or expression
  • The chief of a Native tribe will dress more extravagantly than other members of the tribe, such as with a piece like a feathered headdress
  • Great hunters wear animal skins to show off a kill in some hunter-gatherer communities
  • A wedding dress is meant to be worn on the day that two people get married and is typically never to be worn again
  • The physical—what a person wears, how they move, or how they express emotions—can mean more than words, providing little clues into cultures