Language Properties

Question 1

Displacement

Answer 1

Allows us to talk about things and events not present in the immediate environment
(Unlike animal communication )

Question 2

Arbitrariness

Answer 2

No natural connection between a linguistic form and its meaning . Each word in a language is formed according to the phonological system of one language

Question 3

Productivity / creativity

Answer 3

Novel utterances are conveniently being created and this is infinite. With adults new situations arise or new objects and so the language users manipulate their linguistic resources to produce new expressions

Question 4

Cultural transmission

Answer 4

This is the process where language is passed on by one generation to another generation

Question 5

Discreetness

Answer 5

Speakers of all languages can identify distinct elements in their language. You can make out distinct individual sounds and words in the stream of language you are hearing

Question 6

Compositionally

Answer 6

Our perception that larger units of language are composed of smaller units

Question 7

Duality

Answer 7

Language is organised to levels or layers and can create sound combinations which are distinct in meaning

Question 8

Rule governdess

Answer 8

Constraints in the sequencing of language elements