Hockett's design features

Vocal Auditory Channel

The mode of transmission is vocal and the mode of reception for language is auditory.

Broadcast Transmission and Directional Reception

The message is transmitted in all directions so it can be perceived within range of another person’s channel of perception, and where the message is coming from in perceived too.

Transitoriness

The message in language fades quickly.

Interchangeability

Messages can be both received and given

Total feedback

The sender is aware of the message being sent, and can control and modify it as it occurs.

Semanticity

Specific signals are directly tied to specific meanings

Specialization

Language is used for language. It’s not for anything else. Also its intentional.

Discreteness

The components of a language are discrete, not continuous. You can take them apart and put them together like legos. Break up the signals into chunks.

Duality of patterning

Speech can be divided into meaningful signs, which can be further subdivided into meaningless elements.

Productivity

 

the units that you have can be rearranged into meaningful different orders, the number of possible utterances is infinite, you can create and understand utterances you have never heard before

Displacement

We can refer to objects and events that are either distant in time and pace, hypothetical, or don’t exist at all.

Prevarication

We can lie

Cultural transmission

Language is learned

Reflexiveness

Language can be used to communicate about language

Learnability

We can learn other languages