What is Linguistics?

What is Linguistics?

• Linguistics is the science of language(s), including the sounds or signs, words and grammar rules.
• Words in languages are finite, but sentences are not. It is the creative aspect of human language that sets it apart from animal languages, which are essentially responses to stimuli.
• It is concerned with the nature of language and communication.
• It is generally a descriptive discipline rather than a prescriptive one, which means that linguists do not produce fast rules about how to use a certain language, but rather concentrate on describing the rules which (especially native) speakers seem to have internalized.
• It deals both with the study of particular languages and the search for general properties common to all the languages or large groups of languages.
• Apart from this, there are various different ways of “doing” linguistics. For example, we can concentrate on language as used at a certain point of the time e.g. in 1989; this is called synchronic linguistics.
• Alternatively, we can look at language from a diachronic point of view, which involves analyzing the development of a language during a certain period of time e.g. during the Middle English, or the 1950s etc.
• Linguistics is a sciences which can either be studied in a theoretical or a more applied way. For example, someone may be interested in finding out exactly how questions are formed in English (=theoretical). Once this is known the knowledge could be applied eg. to language teaching, thereby (hopefully) enabling teachers and pupils to learn the language more effectively.

Linguistics

Includes the following subareas or subfields:

• Phonetics – The study of the promotion, acoustics and hearing of speech sounds;
• Phonology – The patterning of sounds; i.e. the sound system;
• Morphology – The structure of words, the study of the formation of words;
• Syntax – The structure of sentences; the study of the formation of sentences; the combination of words into sentences
• Semantics – The study of meaning; the ways in which sounds and meanings are related;
• Pragmatics – Language in context; the study of language in use.

WHAT IS LINGUISTICS?

• LINGUISTICS IS THE SCIENCE OF LANGUAGE(S), INCLUDING THE SOUNDS OR SIGNS, WORDS AND GRAMMAR RULES.
• WORDS IN LANGUAGES ARE FINITE, BUT SENTENCES ARE NOT. IT IS THE CREATIVE ASPECT OF HUMAN LANGUAGE THAT SETS IT APART FROM ANIMAL LANGUAGES, WHICH ARE ESSENTIALLY RESPONSES TO STIMULI.
• IT IS CONCERNED WITH THE NATURE OF LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION.
• IT IS GENERALLY A DESCRIPTIVE DISCIPLINE RATHER THAN A PRESCRIPTIVE ONE, WHICH MEANS THAT LINGUISTS DO NOT PRODUCE FAST RULES ABOUT HOW TO USE A CERTAIN LANGUAGE, BUT RATHER CONCENTRATE ON DESCRIBING THE RULES WHICH (ESPECIALLY NATIVE) SPEAKERS SEEM TO HAVE INTERNALIZED.
• IT DEALS BOTH WITH THE STUDY OF PARTICULAR LANGUAGES AND THE SEARCH FOR GENERAL PROPERTIES COMMON TO ALL THE LANGUAGES OR LARGE GROUPS OF LANGUAGES.
• APART FROM THIS, THERE ARE VARIOUS DIFFERENT WAYS OF "DOING" LINGUISTICS. FOR EXAMPLE, WE CAN CONCENTRATE ON LANGUAGE AS USED AT A CERTAIN POINT OF THE TIME. E.G. IN 1989; THIS IS CALLED SYNCHRONIC LINGUISTICS.
• ALTERNATIVELY, WE CAN LOOK AT LANGUAGE FROM A DIACHRONIC POINT OF VIEW, WHICH INVOLVES ANALYSING THE DEVELOPMENT OF A LANGUAGE DURING A CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME. E.G. DURING THE MIDDLE ENGLISH, OR THE 1950S ETC.
• LINGUISTICS IS A SCIENCE WHICH CAN EITHER BE STUDIED IN A THEORETICAL OR A MORE APPLIED WAY. FOR EXAMPLE, SOMEONE MAY BE INTERESTED IN FINDING OUT EXACTLY HOW QUESTIONS ARE FORMED IN ENGLISH (= THEORETICAL). ONCE THIS IS KNOWN THE KNOWLEDGE COULD BE APPLIED EG. TO LANGUAGE TEACHING, THEREBY (HOPEFULLY) ENABLING TEACHERS AND PUPILS TO LEARN THE LANGUAGE MORE EFFECTIVELY.

LINGUISTICS INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING SUBAREAS OR SUBFIELDS:

• PHONETICS - THE STUDY OF THE PRODUCTION, ACOUSTICS AND HEARING OF SPEECH SOUNDS;
• PHONOLOGY - THE PATTERNING OF SOUNDS; I.E. THE SOUND SYSTEM;
• MORPHOLOGY - THE STRUCTURE OF WORDS, THE STUDY OF THE FORMATION OF WORDS;
• SYNTAX - THE STRUCTURE OF SENTENCES; THE STUDY OF THE FORMATION OF SENTENCES; THE COMBINATION OF WORDS INTO SENTENCES.
• SEMANTICS - THE STUDY OF MEANING; THE WAYS IN WHICH SOUNDS AND MEANINGS ARE RELATED;
• PRAGMATICS - LANGUAGE IN CONTEXT; THE STUDY OF LANGUAGE IN USE.

It also includes explorations into the nature of language variation (i.e. dialects), language change over time; how language is processed and stored in the brain, and how it is acquired by young children.

Although linguistics is still largely unfamiliar to the educated public, it is a growing and exciting field, with an increasingly important impact on other fields as diverse as psychology, philosophy, educ