This research paper discusses some of the distinct features of human language that has differentiated humans from animals. These features are reflexivity, replacement, arbitrariness, productivity, cultural transmission and duality which are the six unique properties of human communication. Therefore, this research provides valuable information on each of these properties as it will includes definitions, explanations, examples and also some experiments that support some specific features. Some human properties may be present in a very low limited capacity in animals. Researchers found the presence level of some of these properties in animals by experimenting with bees, chimpanzees and parrots and also.
Properties of Human and Animal Languages.
Since the time when fiction stories started, many stories have been told about animals that are able to communicate in different ways as human by talking, gestures and signalling. These stories are not true because animals and humans can only communicate with their own kind which can be related to communication. The word communication can be divided into two types; communicative and informative signals (Yule, 2010). These two groups tell the differences between human communication and animals which conveys or totally tells the recipient that communication is intentional. Therefore, explaining the topic of language is difficult when compared with animal communication. According to philosophers, it has been proved that language is the very essence of what makes us human. Rousseau, who is a French philosopher, defined language as "language flows from emotion" (Bever and Montalbetti, 2002). Another definition comes from a philosopher called Herder who stated that "Language is a special expression of human rationality" (Bever and Montalbetti, 2002). These philosophers think that language is a developed form of communication, for high intellectual such as Humans.
