Linguistics—the Study of Language An Overview

Definitions Language—system of words or signs that people use to communicate. It is a central feature of being human, and allows speakers of that language to exchange information, express ideas, emotions, desires, etc. There are approximately 6,500 living languages today English is classified as a Germanic language Lexicon—the vocabulary of a language Linguistics—the scientific study of language

Five Areas of Study in Liguistics (They all build on each other)

Ways to Study Language Phonology (phonetics)—the study of sounds in language Morphology—the study of the formation of words in language Syntax—the study of the formation of sentences Semantics—the study of meaning Pragmatics—the study of the use of language

Other Areas of Study in Linguistics Historical Linguistics—the history and development of language Dialectology—study of dialects; Dialect—a form of language that is spoken in a particular area and that uses some of its own words, grammar, and pronunciations Psycholinguistics—study of relationships between linguistic behavior and the psychological processes involved (for example—language acquisition in children) Sociolinguistics—study of language in relation to social factors, including differences of regional, class, and occupational dialects

Other Areas (con’t) Ethnolinguistics—the study of language as a part of culture, especially the study of culture on language (sometimes referred to as cultural linguistics) Computational Linguistics—techniques of computer science are applied to the analysis and synthesis of language and speech Neurolinguistics—study of the relationship between language and the structure and function of the brain