Last updated on October 14th, 2026 at 06:49 am
A honeybee can tell its hive where to find flowers. A person can describe flowers that bloomed last spring, or flowers that exist only in a poem. That gap is the heart of this topic.
The characteristics of language are the features that make human language different from other communication systems. In 1960, the linguist Charles Hockett listed a set of these features, and linguists still use them today.
This lesson explains ten characteristics with simple examples, compares human language with animal communication, and ends with exercises, a quiz and a FAQ.
- What language is, and the ten main characteristics of human language
- What arbitrary, duality and displacement mean, with examples
- How human language differs from animal communication
- The most common mistakes students make in exams
- How to check your understanding with exercises and a quiz
What Is Language?
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Language is a system of conventional spoken, written or signed symbols that people use to communicate. We use it to share facts, express feelings, ask questions and pass knowledge to the next generation.
You can read a dictionary definition of language, or compare how different scholars define it in our guide to the definition of language.
Every language has some features in common. The table below gives the ten characteristics at a glance. Each one is explained in the next section.
| No. | Characteristic | In one line | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arbitrary | No natural link between a word and its meaning | Tree, árbol and baum all name the same thing |
| 2 | Social | We use and keep language in communities | A child learns the language around them |
| 3 | Symbolic | Words stand for things and ideas | The word freedom names an idea |
| 4 | Systematic | Sounds, words and sentences follow rules | The dog bit the man is not the man bit the dog |
| 5 | Vocal | Speech comes first, writing later | Many languages have no writing |
| 6 | Learned and conventional | We learn the rules our community agrees on | We say make a decision, not do a decision |
| 7 | Productive | We can make endless new sentences | A purple elephant is reading the news |
| 8 | Dual | Meaningless sounds build meaningful words | /k/ + /æ/ + /t/ makes cat |
| 9 | Displaced | We can talk about things that are not here | Dinosaurs lived millions of years ago |
| 10 | Dynamic | Language changes over time | Words such as selfie and podcast are new |
The 10 Characteristics of Human Language
1. Language Is Arbitrary
Arbitrary means there is no natural connection between the sound of a word and its meaning. Nothing about the sounds in tree suggests a tall plant with leaves. Spanish says árbol, French says arbre and German says Baum.
The link exists only because a community agrees on it. If the connection were natural, all people would use the same word, and there would be only one language.
Words that imitate sounds, such as buzz and bang, are partly natural. Even these differ across languages. A dog says woof in English, guau in Spanish and wan-wan in Japanese.
2. Language Is Social
Language exists because people live in groups. We use it to build relationships, share culture and show who we are. A child who grows up in a community learns that community’s language, and no other.
Language also marks identity. Slang, accents and dialects can show that a speaker belongs to a certain group, while formal language can signal authority or respect. Sociolinguists study these links.
3. Language Is Symbolic
A symbol is something that stands for something else. Words are symbols: they represent objects, actions, feelings and ideas. The word dog is not a dog. It does not bark, and it cannot run away.
Symbols let us talk about abstract ideas that we cannot see or touch, such as justice, freedom and tomorrow. This is one reason why human language is so powerful.
4. Language Is Systematic
Language is not a pile of random sounds and words. It has systems, and each system has rules. A language has a sound system (phonology), a system for building words (morphology) and a system for building sentences (syntax).
Word order is a clear example. The dog bit the man and The man bit the dog use the same words, but the meaning changes because the order changes.
Smaller systems exist inside these larger ones. English marks plural (book, books), tense (she walks, she walked), aspect (she walks, she is walking) and mood (the statement She sings and the command Sing!).
5. Language Is Vocal
Human language is first of all spoken. Children learn to speak before they learn to write, and writing appeared thousands of years after speech. Many languages in the world have no writing system at all, and they work perfectly well.
Writing is a tool that records speech. It is not the language itself. Sign languages are an important exception to the idea of sound: they are full languages that use hands, faces and bodies instead of the voice.
6. Language Is Learned and Conventional
No one is born speaking a particular language. People are born with the ability to learn language, but they must learn their own language from the people around them. A baby born to Bengali-speaking parents and raised in Brazil will learn Portuguese.
Every language is also a set of conventions, which means agreements. Nobody voted on them, but every speaker follows them. English speakers say make a decision and take a photo, and other combinations sound wrong even when the meaning is clear.
7. Language Is Productive
Productivity, also called creativity, means that we can build new sentences that nobody has said before. A small set of sounds and words can produce an endless number of sentences.
Try this sentence: A purple elephant is reading the news in my kitchen. You have probably never heard it, yet you understand it at once. Speakers do not learn sentences by heart. They learn rules and use them to create new messages.
8. Language Is Dual
Duality of patterning means that language works on two levels. On the first level, there are small sounds that have no meaning alone. On the second level, these sounds combine into meaningful units such as words, and words combine into sentences.
The sounds /k/, /æ/ and /t/ mean nothing alone. Together they make cat. Change one sound and you get a new word: bat, cap or cut. This is how a few dozen sounds can build tens of thousands of words.
9. Language Is Displaced
Displacement means we can talk about things that are not present in time or place. We can speak about the past, the future, faraway places and things that do not exist.
Dinosaurs lived millions of years ago. Next year I will study abroad. Unicorns have one horn. None of these things is in the room with us, but language lets us describe them. This is what makes history, planning and storytelling possible.
10. Language Is Dynamic
Languages change all the time. New words enter the language, such as selfie and podcast. Old words change meaning: awful once meant full of awe. Pronunciation and grammar also shift slowly over generations.
This change is natural. It happens because language serves the needs of the people who use it, and people’s needs change. A language that nobody uses in new ways is a language that is no longer growing.
Human Language vs Animal Communication
Animals communicate in many clever ways. Bees dance to show where food is, and vervet monkeys use different alarm calls for different dangers. Human language still goes further, because it combines all the features above.
| Feature | Human language | Animal communication |
|---|---|---|
| Arbitrary | Words and meanings are linked by agreement | Many signals are natural, such as a growl for threat |
| Productive | Endless new sentences | A limited set of calls or signals |
| Displaced | Past, future and imaginary things | Mostly about the here and now; the bee dance is a rare exception |
| Dual | Sounds build words, and words build sentences | Usually one signal for one meaning |
| Learned | Learned from a community | Largely instinctive, with some learning in birdsong |
Check your answer
Common Mistakes
| Common idea | Better statement | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Language is the same as writing. | Language is first spoken or signed. | Many languages have no writing system. |
| Arbitrary means random. | Arbitrary means no natural link between sound and meaning. | Speakers must still follow the community’s agreement. |
| Only humans communicate. | Animals communicate, but not with all these features. | Human language is productive, displaced and dual. |
| People are born speaking a language. | People are born with the ability to learn one. | Each person learns the language of their community. |
| Languages never change. | All living languages change. | New words and meanings appear all the time. |
Practice: Exercises on the Characteristics of Language
Exercise 1: Name the Characteristic
Choose the correct word for each example: arbitrary, social, displaced, dual, productive, dynamic.
- The word awful once meant full of awe, but now it means very bad.
- The sounds /t/, /ɒ/ and /p/ mean nothing alone, but together they make top.
- The word dog is perro in Spanish and Hund in German.
- A speaker says, “Last year my grandmother visited a village that no longer exists.”
- A student invents a sentence that nobody has ever said, and the class understands it.
- A girl learns the language of her new neighbors within two years.
Show answers for Exercise 1
- Dynamic
- Dual
- Arbitrary
- Displaced
- Productive
- Social
Exercise 2: True or False
Write true or false. Correct the false sentences.
- Writing is the first form of language.
- A child is born speaking the language of the parents.
- Words are symbols for things and ideas.
- Languages never change after they are formed.
- Human language can describe things that are not present.
- Arbitrary means that speakers can change words freely.
Show answers for Exercise 2
- False. Speech or sign comes first, and writing records it later.
- False. A child is born with the ability to learn a language and learns the one around them.
- True.
- False. All living languages change over time.
- True. This is displacement.
- False. Arbitrary means there is no natural link between sound and meaning, but speakers still follow the community’s agreement.
Quiz: Test Yourself
- What does arbitrary mean when we talk about language?
- Which characteristic is shown by the sentence “Dinosaurs lived millions of years ago”?
- The sounds /k/, /æ/ and /t/ combine to make cat. Which characteristic is this?
- Which statement about writing is correct?
- Which characteristic lets us build sentences nobody has said before?
- Why is the word dog called a symbol?
- Which example shows that language is dynamic?
- Which feature is rare in animal communication but common in human language?
- Which sentence about learning language is correct?
- Which characteristic is shown by the fact that The dog bit the man and The man bit the dog mean different things?
Key Takeaways
- Language is a system of symbols, and its main characteristics are arbitrary, social, symbolic, systematic, vocal, learned, productive, dual, displaced and dynamic.
- Arbitrary means there is no natural link between sound and meaning. It does not mean random.
- Duality means that meaningless sounds combine into meaningful words.
- Displacement means we can talk about things that are not here, such as the past, the future and imaginary things.
- Animals communicate, but human language combines all these features.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the main characteristics of language?
The main characteristics are arbitrary, social, symbolic, systematic, vocal, learned, productive, dual, displaced and dynamic. Each one describes a feature of human language.
What is the most important characteristic of language?
Linguists often name productivity, duality and displacement as the most important. Together they make human language more flexible than animal communication.
What does arbitrary mean in language?
It means there is no natural link between a word and its meaning. For example, tree is árbol in Spanish and Baum in German.
What is duality of patterning?
It means that meaningless sounds combine into meaningful words, and words combine into sentences. For example, /k/, /æ/ and /t/ make cat.
How is human language different from animal communication?
Human language is productive, displaced and dual, and we learn it from our community. Most animal signals are limited, instinctive and about the here and now.
Is writing a characteristic of language?
No. Language is first spoken or signed. Writing records it later, and many languages have no writing system.
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Very good and effective information.
Thank u! Share it more.
Which year is it published
2018.06.29
We’ll need to also talk about language being dynamic for it changes.
Just like people grow, language also grows; where new words are added, and others are improved.
Thanks for your information!
Thanks for the information it helpful
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Welcome!
Language is also arbitary,productive,creative, symbolic, system,vocalic and non instinctive..
Human language is a system of vocal auditory communication, interaction with the experiences of it’s user’s employing conventional signs composition of arbitrary patterned sound unit.
Very Convenient information
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It is well explained thank you