22Young children initially appear to regard an entire word as if it were a single sound. However, as their vocabulary expands between 15 and 21 months of age, keeping track of a large store of independent sounds becomes very difficult for them to manage. To learn more words, children must begin to break words into smaller number of simpler units, which are sounds that can be used in different combinations to make up many other words. This feature of language can be referred to as _____________.
(A)arbitrary
(B)duality
(C)productivity
(D)culture transmission

5 characteristics of human language（語言的五種特性）

～網路上資料整理來的～

1. arbitrariness 任意性

(1) The concept was first proposed by Saussure(索敘爾). 

(2) The forms of lingustics signs bear no logical, intrinsic(固有的), natural relationship to their meaning. 

【例如】為什麼  ☆  叫做  "star"，沒有原因

2. duality 二重性

(1) Human language is organized at 2 levels simultaneously(同時地).

(2) Human sounds have basic sounds. 

(3)  These basic sounds can be conbined to create many other different sounds. 

【例如】英文中有/c/  /t/  /p/  /a/

我們可以組合成  cat, pat, tap...等

＊In animals there is only 1 level that is sound. 

3. productivity 多產性/創造性

(1) Whatever we speak or create is productivity. Speaking itself is productivity.  

(2) Human can talk about topics that are displaced. They can talk the things that may be present or nor, or talk about anything in past, present, future. 

4. displacement 移位性

(1) Human lauguage can refer to the past and future times.

(2) We can also refer to the things and events that are not present, intangible(無形的), non existance and non visible. 

5. cultural transmission 文化傳遞性

(1) Language can be culturely transmitted or taught. （透過文化傳承或是被教的）

(2) Human's language cannot be transmitted through heredity(遺傳), but animals' can. （動物一出生就知道什麼叫聲代表什麼意思）→我自己的理解啦～  

(3) What language the baby is going to speak is determined by the culture the baby is born. 

資料來源