linguistics
Sign in to saveLinguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds and equivalent gestures in sign languages), phonology (the abstract sound system of a particular language, and analogous systems of sign languages), and pragmatics (how the context of use contributes to meaning). Subdisciplines such as biolinguistics (the study of the biological variables and evolution of language) and psycholinguistics (the study of psychological factors in huma
AI overview
Linguistics is the scientific study of language, examining how it works across multiple dimensions including sentence structure, word formation, sound systems, meaning, and how context shapes communication. It matters because understanding these fundamental aspects of language—through subdisciplines like biolinguistics and psycholinguistics—helps us comprehend how humans create and use one of our most essential abilities.
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Wikidata facts
- Subclass of
- social science
- Has part
- grammar
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- P2578
- language
- P1424
- Template:Linguistics
- P5008
- Wikipedia:Vital articles/Level/4 (2022)
Article
35 sectionsContents
- Major subdisciplines
- Historical linguistics
- Syntax
- Morphology
- Semantics and pragmatics
- Phonetics and phonology
- Typology
- Structures
- Grammar
- Discourse
- Lexicon
- Style
- Methodology
- Sources
- Analysis
- History
- Nomenclature
- Early grammarians
- Comparative philology
- 20th-century developments
- Areas of research
- Sociolinguistics
- Developmental linguistics
- Neurolinguistics
- Applied linguistics
- Language documentation
- Translation
- Clinical linguistics
- Computational linguistics
- Evolutionary linguistics
- Forensic linguistics
- See also
- References
- Bibliography
- External links
Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds and equivalent gestures in sign languages), phonology (the abstract sound system of a particular language, and analogous systems of sign languages), and pragmatics (how the context of use contributes to meaning). Subdisciplines such as biolinguistics (the study of the biological variables and evolution of language) and psycholinguistics (the study of psychological factors in human language) bridge many of these divisions.
Linguistics encompasses many branches and subfields that span both theoretical and practical applications. Theoretical linguistics is concerned with understanding the universal and fundamental nature of language and developing a general theoretical framework for describing it. Applied linguistics seeks to utilize the scientific findings of the study of language for practical purposes, such as developing methods of improving language education and literacy. Mathematical linguistics is the application of mathematics to model phenomena and solve problems in general linguistics and theoretical linguistics. Computational linguistics is an interdisciplinary field concerned with the computational modelling of natural language, as well as the study of appropriate computational approaches to linguistic questions.