DESIGN FEATURES
A set of characteristics which specify the nature of speech. Hockett (1963) produced the first list of such features; his aim was to provide a principled means of contrasting speech with animal communication systems. The following design features are the most cited:
Vocal-auditory channel– speaking and listening.
Interchangeability– a transmitter and a receiver.
Complete feedback– the ability to self monitor when speaking.
d. Specialisation– speech production as an end in itself, not part of a biological function.
e. Semanticity– linguistic signs associated with specific meanings.
f. Arbitrariness– no necessary connection between the form of the signal and what it signifies.
g. Discreteness– distinctive units of sound (phoneme) and meaning (word).
h. Displacement– the possibility of referring beyond the ‘here and now’.
i. Openness– similar to Chomsky’s notion of the infinite creativity of language.
j. Cultural transmission– language being acquired in a social setting.
k. Duality of patterning– sounds combined into words; words into syntactic patterns.
To these, modern commentators might add:
l. Structure-dependency– language as a set of hierarchically structured phrases. Other minor but distinctive design features are said to be:
m. Prevarication– the ability to lie.
n. Reflectiveness– the ability to analyse thoughts.
o. Learnability– the possibility of learning others’ codes.
p. Spontaneous usage– production that is unrehearsed.
q. Turn taking– sequential production and reception.
See also: Animal communication
Further reading: Aitchison (1998)
