introduction to linguistics

Introduction to linguistics

1.what is linguistics ?

         Linguistics is the scientific study of language.Linguists (people who are specialists in linguistics) do work on specific languages, but their primary goal is to understand the nature of language in general by asking questions such as:

1.What distinguishes human language from other animal communication systems? …What features are common to all human languages? …

2.How are the modes of linguistic communication (speech, writing, sign language) related to each other? …

3.How is language related to other types of human behavior? …etc.  
        

        The main goal of linguistics, like all other intellectual disciplines, is to increase our knowledge and understanding of the world. Since language is universal and fundamental to all human interactions, the knowledge attained in linguistics has many practical applications.  Linguists, with some training in other appropriate disciplines, are thus prepared to seek answers to questions such as:

1.How can a previously unstudied language be analyzed and written? …How can foreign languages best be taught and learned? …

2.How can speech be synthesized on a computer or how can a computer be programmed to understand human speech? …

3.How can the language problems of people with speech abnormalities be analyzed and rectified? …

4.How are linguistic issues in legal matters to be handled? …etc. 

 

2.The Sub-Fields of Linguistics

        Language is a phenomenon with many layers, from the sounds that come out of people’s mouths to the meanings that those sounds express.  The field of Linguistics is composed of sub-fields, and most professional linguists become specialists in one or more of these sub-fields. 

3.The part of linguistics that is concerned with the structure of language is divided into a number of subfields :

§  Phonetics - the study of speech sounds in their physical aspects

§  Phonology - the study of speech sounds in their cognitive aspects

§  Morphology - the study of the formation of words

§  Syntax - the study of the formation of sentences

§  Semantics - the study of meaning