1. DISPLACEMENT
1.1. Human Language
1.1.1. Refer to past, present, future, as well as to location
1.1.1.1. Ex: I’m flying to Paris next week
1.1.2. Hypothetical or counterfactual states of affairs
1.1.2.1. Ex: Superman, Batman, Santa Claus
1.2. Animal Communication System
1.2.1. Animals lack this property. Exception: the bee dance
1.2.1.1. Ex: Bee language: dance routine to communicate the location of nectar
2. ARBITRARINESS
2.1. Human Language
2.1.1. Every word denotes an a concept or an object
2.1.2. Each word is formed according to the phonological system of the language.
2.1.3. The particular sequence of sounds selected in a given language is completely arbitrary
2.2. Animal Communication System
2.2.1. There appears to be a clear connection between the message and the signal used to convey it
2.2.2. The set of signals is finite
3. PRODUCTIVITY
3.1. Human Language
3.1.1. Humans are capable of creating new expressions for new objects- infinite
3.1.2. A language user can manipulate his linguistic resources -> open endedness
3.2. Animal Communication System
3.2.1. Animals have limited set of signals to choose from- fixed reference
3.2.2. Cannot produce any new signals to describe novel experiences.
4. CULTURE TRANSMISSION
4.1. Human Language
4.1.1. We acquire language with other speakers -> not from parental genes
4.2. Animal Communication System
4.2.1. Animal communicative signals are produced instinctively. Evidence for dialect differences Suggests that may be impact of “culture”
5. DUALITY
5.1. Human Language
5.1.1. Two levels: distinct sound & distinct meaning
5.1.1.1. Physical level at which we can produce individual sounds Ex: n, b, i. Meaning level: when we produce sounds in combination Ex: nib, bin
5.2. Animal Communication System
5.2.1. Animal communicative signals appear to be fixed
5.2.1.1. Typically cannot be broken into parts- meow is not m+e+o+w Again, some evidence this may not be completely true