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WHAT DOES LINGUISTICS STUDY?

1. Linguistics is the scientific study of natural language.
2. The scientific study of language and its structure, including the study of morphology, syntax, phonetics, and semantics.
3. Linguistics is the study of LANGUAG. Language accompanies almost all human acti!ities, and is the medium for many of
them. The su"#ect of speculation and in$uiry throughout history, in the 2%th century its study has come to "e called
&linguistics,& and this term characteri'es a modern emphasis, (ith special methods and techni$ues.
). Linguistics concerns itself (ith descri"ing and explaining the nature of human language. *undamental $uestions include
(hat is uni!ersal to language, ho( language can !ary, and ho( human "eings come to +no( languages. Linguistic research
can "roadly "e di!ided into the descripti!e analysis of structure and grammar on the one hand and the study of non,linguistic
influences on language on the other.
-. Linguistics is the study of language. Li+e other rapidly de!eloping fields, linguistics resists simple classification into one of
the traditional categories of academic disciplines. As one of the humanities, linguistics is concerned (ith the historical
de!elopment of a particular language or language family. As a social science, linguistics may "e related to anthropology in
descri"ing language as part of culture. or it may "e related to psychology in descri"ing phonetics. it may e!en "e considered a
natural science, related to the physical science of acoustics and the "iological sciences of anatomy and physiology. As an
applied science, linguistics has found many applications in fields as far apart as language pedagogy, speech therapy, and
computer programming. *inally, linguistics may "e considered a formal science in its o(n right, related to mathematics and
logic.
/uestions in linguistics0
1hat is language2
3o( did it4does it e!ol!e2
3o( does language ser!e as a medium of communication2
3o( does language ser!e as a medium of thin+ing2
1hat is common to all languages2
3o( do languages differ2
Linguistics is the study of language not #ust particular languages, "ut the system of human communication. 5ome
of the "asic issues of this field are0
1hat is language2 3o( is it organi'ed2
3o( is it analy'ed2 3o( are its units disco!ered and tested2
1here is language stored and processed in the "rain2 3o( is it learned2
1hat do all languages6including non!ocal systems of communication 7e.g. (riting and sign languages86ha!e in common2
1hat do these properties sho( us a"out human cognition2
3o( did language originate2 1hat does it ha!e in common (ith animal communication2 3o( is it different2
3o( many distinct families or stoc+s of languages are there in the 9%%% or so +no(n languages today2 1hat original
languages did they come from2 3o( ha!e they changed o!er time2
1hat does dialectal and social !ariation sho( us a"out the use of language2 3o( has this di!ersity affected issues of social,
political, and educational policy2
1hat is the relationship "et(een language and culture2 Language and thought2
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Linguistics is the study of language. :no(ledge of linguistics, ho(e!er, is different from +no(ledge of a language. ;ust as a
person is a"le to dri!e a car (ithout understanding the inner (or+ings of the engine, so, too, a spea+er can use a language
(ithout any conscious +no(ledge of its internal structure. <on!ersely, a linguist can +no( and understand the internal
structure of a language (ithout actually spea+ing it.
A linguist, then, is not an indi!idual (ho spea+s more than one language, more accurately
called polyglot or bilingual or multilingual. =ather, a linguist is concerned (ith language as a human phenomenon. Linguists
study grammar, the social and psychological aspects of language use, and the relationships among languages, "oth historical
and present,day. The field of linguistics, li+e any complex field, includes se!eral ma#or di!isions.
1hen you study linguistics, (hether in an introductory course or a >h? program, you gain insight into (hat ma+es us human
6language. 5tudying linguistics ena"les you to learn ho( language (or+s, ho( it changes and !aries and ho( it is used,
preser!ed, and processed. 1hen you study linguistics, you are at the crossroads of e!ery discipline.
ach human language is a complex com"ination of +no(ledge and a"ilities that ena"le spea+ers of the language to
communicate (ith each other, to express ideas, hypotheses, emotions, desires, etc. Linguists conse$uently are concerned
(ith a num"er of particular $uestions a"out the nature of language0 1hat properties do all human languages ha!e in
common2 3o( do languages differ, and to (hat extent are the differences systematic, i.e. can (e find patterns in the
differences2 3o( do children ac$uire such complete +no(ledge of a language in such a short time2 1hat are the (ays in
(hich languages can change o!er time2 1hat is the nature of the cogniti!e processes that come into play (hen (e produce
and understand language2
@ecause language is such a central feature of "eing human, linguistics has intellectual connections and o!erlaps (ith many
other disciplines in the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences. 5ome of the closest connections are (ith
>hilosophy, Literature, Language >edagogy, >sychology, 5ociology, >hysics 7acoustics8, @iology 7anatomy, neuroscience8,
<omputer 5cience, 3ealth 5ciences 7aphasia, speech therapy8.
@ecause of the centrality of language in human interaction and "eha!ior, the +no(ledge gained through the study of linguistics
has many practical conse$uences and uses. Graduates of undergraduate and graduate programs in linguistics apply their
training in many di!erse areas, including language pedagogy, speech pathology, forensics, etc. >erhaps the most (idely
appreciated application (as contri"uted "y Aarc B+rand, (ho in!ented the :lingon language for 5tar Tre+.
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can "e "roadly "ro+en into three categories or su"fields of
study0 language form, language meaning, and language in context. The earliest +no(n acti!ities in descripti!e linguistics ha!e
"een attri"uted to >Cnini around -%% @<, (ith his analysis of 5ans+rit.
Bne su"field of linguistics is the study of language structure, or grammar. This focuses on the system of rules follo(ed "y the
users of a language. Dt includes the study of morphology 7the formation and composition of (ords8, syntax 7the formation and
composition of phrases and sentences from these (ords8, and phonology 7sound systems8. >honetics is a related "ranch of
linguistics concerned (ith the actual properties of speech sounds and non,speech sounds, and ho( they are produced and
percei!ed.
The study of language meaning is concerned (ith ho( languages employ logical structures and real,(orld references to
con!ey, process, and assign meaning, as (ell as to manage and resol!e am"iguity. This category includes the study of
semantics 7ho( meaning is inferred from (ords and concepts8 and pragmatics 7ho( meaning is inferred from context8.
Linguistics also loo+s at the "roader context in (hich language is influenced "y social, cultural, historical and political factors.
This includes the study of e!olutionary linguistics, (hich in!estigates into $uestions related to the origins and gro(th of
languages. historical linguistics, (hich explores language change. sociolinguistics, (hich loo+s at the relation "et(een
linguistic !ariation and social structures. psycholinguistics, (hich explores the representation and function of language in the
mind. neurolinguistics, (hich loo+s at language processing in the "rain. language ac$uisition, on ho( children or adults
ac$uire language. and discourse analysis, (hich in!ol!es the structure of texts and con!ersations.
Although linguistics is the scientific study of language, a num"er of other intellectual disciplines are rele!ant to language and
intersect (ith it. 5emiotics, for example, is the general study of signs and sym"ols "oth (ithin language and (ithout. Literary
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theorists study the use of language in literature. Linguistics additionally dra(s on and informs (or+ from such di!erse fields as
acoustics, anthropology, "iology, computer science, human anatomy, informatics, neuroscience, philosophy, psychology,
sociology, and speech,language pathology.
Theoretical linguistics is the "ranch of linguistics that is most concerned (ith de!eloping models of linguistic +no(ledge. The
fields that are generally considered the core of theoretical linguistics are syntax, phonology, morphology, and semantics.
Although phonetics often informs phonology, it is often excluded from the pur!ie( of theoretical linguistics, along
(ith psycholinguistics and sociolinguistics. Theoretical linguistics also in!ol!es the search for an explanation of linguistic
uni!ersals, that is, properties all languages ha!e in common.
Applied linguistics is an interdisciplinary field of study that identifies, in!estigates, and offers solutions to language,related
real,life pro"lems. 5ome of the academic fields related to applied linguistics are education, linguistics, psychology, computer
science, communication research, anthropology, and sociology.
Aa#or "ranches of applied linguistics include "ilingualism and multilingualism, computer,mediated communication 7<A<8,
con!ersation analysis, contrasti!e linguistics, language assessment, literacy, discourse analysis, language pedagogy, second
language ac$uisition, lexicography, language planning and policy, stylistics, pragmatics, forensic linguistics and translation.
Scope of Linguistics

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