Vocal-auditory channel is the first of
13 design features proposed by
Charles F. Hockett in characterizing human language and distinguishing it from
animal communication. It describes the way vocal signals can be used to produce language. The speaker uses a
vocal tract
The vocal tract is the cavity in human bodies and in animals where the sound produced at the sound source ( larynx in mammals; syrinx in birds) is filtered.
In birds it consists of the trachea, the syrinx, the oral cavity, the upper part of th ...
(containing most of the speech organs) to produce speech sounds, and the hearer employs an auditory apparatus (the sense of hearing) to receive and process the speech sounds. This is why human language is said to be based on speech sounds produced by the articulatory system and received through the
auditory system. The vocal channel is a particularly excellent means through which speech sounds can be accompanied or substituted by
gestures, facial expressions, body movement, and way of dressing. However, Hockett considers this design feature one which is fundamentally advantageous for primates as "it leaves much of the body free for other activities that can be carried on at the same time."
See also
*
Animal communication
*
Hockett's design features Hockett's Design Features are a set of features that characterize human language and set it apart from animal communication. They were defined by linguist Charles F. Hockett in the 1960s. He called these characteristics the design features of langua ...
Sources
*
*Fatima SADIQI and Moha ENNAJI.(1992). Introduction To Modern Linguistics. AFRIQUE-ORIENT
{{Refend
References
Language acquisition
acquisition-stub