Displacement (linguistics)

In linguistics, displacement is the capability of language to communicate about things that are not immediately present (spatially or temporally); i.e., things that are either not here or are not here now.

In 1960, Charles F. Hockett proposed displacement as one of 13 design features of language that distinguish human language from animal communication systems (ACSs):

Man is apparently almost unique in being able to talk about things that are remote in space or time (or both) from where the talking goes on. This feature—"displacement"—seems to be definitely lacking in the vocal signaling of man's closest relatives, though it does occur in bee-dancing.^[1]

^ Hockett, Charles F. (1960), "The origin of speech", Scientific American, 203 (3): 88–96, Bibcode:1960SciAm.203c..88H, doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0960-88, PMID 14402211, archived from the original on 26 April 2010, retrieved 19 February 2011

[1] Hockett, Charles F. (1960), "The origin of speech", Scientific American, 203 (3): 88–96, Bibcode:1960SciAm.203c..88H, doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0960-88, PMID 14402211, archived from the original on 26 April 2010, retrieved 19 February 2011

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