Language is a uniquely human capacity that is defined by several key properties. Unlike animal communication systems, language uses discrete units that can be combined and recombined productively based on rules. This double articulation allows humans to discuss topics that are not directly present through meaningful combinations of meaningless units. Additionally, language allows for displacement so one can talk about things in other times and places, both concrete and abstract, and signs are arbitrarily connected to meanings rather than naturally.

1. PROPERTIES AND
DESIGN
THE NATURE OF
LANGUAGE
Prof. Silvia Rivero, UNR

2. SPECIFICITY
Language is a
capacity
specific to
human beings.

3. ANIMALS SHARE A CODE
Unlike human beings,
animals communicate
with one another through
a fix repertoire of
messages on a finite
number of issues (food,
defense or attack,
mating) which convey
information in toto and
cannot be parsed into
constituent units.
Animals
communicate
through a
code

4. DISCRETENESS
Language is
constituted by a
series of
identifiable units
which may be
combined and
recombined.

5. PRODUCTIVITY
Capacity to
create a
potentially
infinite number
of sequences
based on a
finite number of
units.

6. DOUBLE ARTICULATION
Capacity
to get
meaning-
ful units…
through
the
combina-
tion of
meaning-
less units

7. RULE-GOVERNMENT
Units do not
combine at
random but
according to
specific rules
which govern
the system.

8. DISPLACEMENT
Human beings
can talk
about things
away in time
and space,
about concrete
as well as
abstract entities.

9. ARBITRARINESS
There is no
natural
connection
between a
sound image
and an idea
i.e. there is no one-
to-one relationship
between signifier
and signified; there is
no need for one
specific acoustic
image to correspond
to one specific
meaning.

10. LANGUAGE, IN SUM
These are some of the properties
of language, an extraordinary
feature exclusive to human
beings which defines us as
subjects and has enabled the
development of culture in all its
complexity.