Scope of Linguistics

Scope of Linguistics

• Linguistic competence enables speakers to produce and interpret grammatical sentences.
• Linguistic competence includes knowledge of a language's speech sounds, and how they can or cannot combine, which is phonology.
• Linguistic competence covers the meanings of sound combinations and how to combine them into words, phrases, and sentences, which includes phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics.
• Linguistic competence forms the foundation for language production and comprehension in all languages.
• Communicative competence is required for human interaction, because linguistic competence alone is not enough.
• People often interact using discourse units that are smaller or larger than fully grammatical sentences, especially in oral communication.
• Effective communication involves combining linguistic competence with knowledge of how to use that knowledge appropriately in context.
• Linguistic competence and its practical application together create communicative competence.
• Grammatical knowledge combined with the ability to use it for various communicative tasks constitutes language.
• Hymes stated that "There are rules of use without which the rules of grammar would be useless" (1972, 278).

Definition of Linguistics

• Linguistics is the science of language.
• Linguistics is descriptive, documenting language use rather than prescribing strict rules.
• Linguists examine the rules native speakers have internalized, rather than dictating language use.
• Linguistics is the scientific study of language, involving the analysis of language form, meaning, and context.
• Linguistics encompasses the scientific study of language and its structure, including grammar, syntax, and phonetics.
• Specific branches of linguistics include sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, computational linguistics, comparative linguistics, and structural linguistics.

Branches of Linguistics

• General linguistics studies language in general, providing concepts and categories for analyzing specific languages.
• Descriptive linguistics studies specific languages, providing data to support or refute general linguistic theories.
• Theoretical linguistics studies language and languages to construct theories about their structure and functions, without regard to practical applications, with the goal of formulating a satisfactory theory of language structure.
• Applied linguistics applies linguistic concepts and findings to practical tasks, like language teaching, and it draws from both general and descriptive linguistics.
• Micro linguistics focuses on the structures of the language system itself, including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.
  • Phonetics is the scientific study of speech sounds, including their articulation, transmission, and reception.
  • Phonology studies how speech sounds function and are organized in a language; it can be seen as functional phonetics.
  • Morphology studies word formation, breaking words into morphemes, and is like the grammar of words.
  • Syntax deals with combining words into phrases, clauses, and sentences, and is the grammar of sentence construction.
  • Semantics studies meaning in all its formal aspects, noting that words have various types of meaning.
  • Pragmatics studies language in use within its context.
• Macro linguistics takes a broader view, considering language acquisition, storage, and functions, as well as cultural interdependence and psychological mechanisms in language behavior.
• Macro linguistics includes Psycholinguistics, Sociolinguistics, Neurolinguistics, Discourse Analysis, Computational Linguistics, and Applied Linguistics.
  • Sociolinguistics examines the relationship between language and society, focusing on how social factors influence language structure and use.
  • Psycholinguistics studies the relationship between language and the mind, including the mental structures and processes involved in language acquisition, comprehension, and production.
  • Neurolinguistics studies language processing and representation in the brain, often looking at language comprehension and production disturbances caused by brain damage.
  • Discourse analysis or text linguistics studies language in context, examining how sentences form larger meaningful units in spoken and written language.
  • Computational linguistics uses mathematical techniques, often with computers, to study language.
  • Applied linguistics uses linguistic theories and methods to address language-related problems in other fields.
  • Forensic linguistics, also called legal linguistics or language and the law, applies linguistic knowledge to legal contexts, including crime investigation, trials, and law.
    • Key areas for forensic linguists include understanding legal language, language use in forensic processes, and providing linguistic evidence.