Introduction to Linguistics

Study Notes

Linguistics is the study of language, and it's a unique area to study because we need to use language to study it.
To study language, we need to be precise about cultivating meta-linguistic awareness, which means testing and examining our assumptions about how language works.

Language exists at two levels: the level of form (sounds or handshapes) and the level of combinations of forms that create meaning.
This is known as the duality of patterning.
The choice of words and signs is arbitrary, meaning there's no inherent connection between the word and the thing it refers to.
This is known as the arbitrariness of the sign.
Language has the feature of displacement, which means we can talk about things that happened in the past, will happen in the future, or may happen in other worlds.
Language also has the feature of reflexivity, which means we can use language to talk about language itself.

Other forms of communication, such as bees' waggle dances or parrots' mimicry, don't have the same design features as human language.
Animals can communicate, but none of the ways they communicate have all the design features of human language.

There are over 7,000 identified languages, and many varieties within them.
Linguists are interested in all the different varieties of languages that people speak and sign, not just the standardized version.
All language varieties tell us interesting things about how people use language.

Phonetics: the study of individual sounds in spoken languages or handshapes in signed languages.
Phonology: the study of how languages combine individual sounds or handshapes into words according to specific patterns.
Morphology: the study of how words can be broken down into an internal structure.
Syntax: the study of how words group together to make sentences.
Semantics: the study of the meaning of words and sentences.
Pragmatics: the study of meaning in a larger social context.

Linguists can study language by observing people, asking them questions, or doing experiments with them.
They can also work with existing text, recordings, video, or historical documents.
Introspection, or consulting the language knowledge in our own heads, can also be a useful tool for studying language.

Linguistics is relevant to anyone who uses language, but it's especially relevant to certain people and industries, such as speech pathologists, language teachers, and writers.
Understanding linguistics and how language works is valuable for anyone who wants to better understand humans and the world we live in.

Linguistics is the study of language, requiring precision and meta-linguistic awareness to examine assumptions about language.

Language has two levels: the level of form (sounds or handshapes) and the level of combinations of forms that create meaning, known as the duality of patterning.
The choice of words and signs is arbitrary, with no inherent connection between the word and the thing it refers to, known as the arbitrariness of the sign.
Language has the feature of displacement, allowing us to talk about past, future, or hypothetical events.
Language also has the feature of reflexivity, enabling us to use language to talk about language itself.

Other forms of communication, such as bees' waggle dances or parrots' mimicry, lack the design features of human language.
While animals can communicate, their methods do not possess all the design features of human language.

There are over 7,000 identified languages, with many varieties within them.
Linguists are interested in all language varieties, not just standardized versions, as they reveal how people use language.

Phonetics: the study of individual sounds in spoken languages or handshapes in signed languages.
Phonology: the study of how languages combine individual sounds or handshapes into words according to specific patterns.
Morphology: the study of how words can be broken down into an internal structure.
Syntax: the study of how words group together to make sentences.
Semantics: the study of the meaning of words and sentences.
Pragmatics: the study of meaning in a larger social context.

Linguists can study language through observation, interviews, experiments, text analysis, and introspection.

Linguistics is relevant to anyone who uses language, particularly speech pathologists, language teachers, and writers.
Understanding linguistics is valuable for anyone seeking to better understand humans and the world.