Final answer:
Displacement is the ability of humans to talk about non-immediate things, times, and places, contributing to abstract thinking and communication, and is vital for the development of human culture.
Step-by-step explanation:
Humans have the ability to talk about things, times, and places that are not within their immediate experience. This capability is known as displacement. Displacement allows us to communicate about past and future events, remote locations, and hypothetical situations, all of which are not present at the moment of speaking. This aspect of language demonstrates the unique human capacity to think and communicate abstractly. Unlike productivity, arbitrariness, or grammar, which have different roles in the context of language, displacement specifically refers to the ability to discuss non-present circumstances.
Through language development, even at a young age, children demonstrate a remarkable ability to understand and use this feature of language without formal instruction, suggesting a biological predisposition for acquiring language with ease. The concept of displacement is essential for the accumulation of human culture, as it allows the sharing and building of knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes beyond immediate experiences.