The 'design features' of language revisited

Area of Science:

• Linguistics
• Cognitive Science
• Anthropology
• Animal Cognition

Background:

• Charles Hockett's 1960 "The origin of speech" proposed 13 design features distinguishing human language.
• These features were presumed universal to all languages and communication systems.
• New evidence prompts a re-evaluation of these foundational linguistic concepts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review Hockett's original 13 design features of language.
• To assess their validity with contemporary scientific evidence.
• To propose a revised understanding of language's core properties.

Main Methods:

• Literature review integrating findings from cognitive science, linguistics, animal cognition, and anthropology.
• Comparative analysis of existing linguistic theories and empirical data.
• Synthesis of evidence to identify enduring and evolving features of language.

Main Results:

• Language is inherently multimodal and semiotically diverse, utilizing various sensory and symbolic channels.
• Language serves as a crucial tool for semantic, pragmatic, and social inference.
• Language facilitates cognitive processes such as categorization.
• Interaction and transmission are central to the emergence and evolution of language design features.

Conclusions:

• Hockett's framework requires updating based on current scientific understanding.
• Human language is characterized by its multimodal nature, inferential power, and role in social cognition.
• The dynamic processes of language use and learning are fundamental to its core features.