Traditional vs Modern Linguistics

The study of language structure and rules, primarily focused on written forms.

The idea that language should be used according to prescribed rules and norms, often based on ancient texts.

A belief that written language is superior to spoken language, often rooted in a reverence for sacred texts.

A system of grammar that aims to uncover universal principles underlying all languages, rather than just focusing on specific languages.

A collection of words and their meanings, often organized alphabetically.

A type of grammar that focuses on describing how language is actually used, rather than prescribing how it should be used.

A type of language that is highly valued and considered by many to be more complex and sophisticated than other languages.

Ancient Greek and Latin were considered prestigious languages and were primarily studied in written form, leading to a prescriptive approach to grammar.

Eighteenth-century British grammarians focused on teaching people how to read and write in a standardized English language, drawing rules from Latin.

The study of relationships between languages to determine if they share a common ancestor.

A technique used in comparative philology that involves comparing phonology, morphology, syntax, and vocabulary of different languages.

The idea that Latin served as a model for creating standardized English grammar rules in the 18th century.

Sir William Jones' discovery in 1786 that Sanskrit was related to Latin, Greek, and German, prompting further investigation into language families.

A branch of the Indo-European language family that includes languages like Sanskrit, Hindi, Urdu, and Persian.

A group of languages spoken in South Asia, including Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, and Marathi.

A group of languages spoken in the Middle East and Central Asia, including Persian, Kurdish, and Pashtu.

A group of languages that descend from Latin, including Italian, Spanish, French, and Portuguese.

A group of languages that descended from the ancient Greek language.

An extinct language that is the ancestor of the Romance languages.

A language family that includes most of the languages spoken in Europe, as well as many languages spoken in Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

A group of related languages that share a common ancestor, with similarities in vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.

A branch of the Indo-European family that includes languages like English, German, Dutch, and Swedish.

A branch of the Indo-European family that includes languages like Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, and Punjabi.

A branch of the Indo-European family that includes languages like Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, and Czech.

A language that is not related to any other known language.

A language spoken by a small group of people, often in a remote area. They can be very different from other languages.

Traditional grammar sees language as a set of fixed rules that must be followed, rather than describing how people actually use it.

Traditional grammar heavily emphasized written language, considering it more important than spoken language.

Traditional grammar often derived its rules from Latin, influencing how English grammar was structured.

Traditional grammar aimed to establish uniform standards for using language, often drawing from Latin.

Traditional grammar believed that the spoken language is a flawed version of the written language.

Traditional grammar focused on teaching people how to use standard English correctly, like a set of rules.

Traditional grammar often relied on examples from classical languages like Latin and Greek, considered the gold standard.

Traditional grammar focused on correcting errors and ensuring proper language use, often with a focus on punctuation, spelling, and diction.

Traditional grammar emphasizes the written form of language, considering it more important than spoken language.

Traditional grammar primarily analyzes language based on meaning, often neglecting structure and form.

Traditional grammar emphasizes the historical development of language, often neglecting contemporary usage.

Traditional grammar often overlooks different social and functional varieties of language, focusing on a standardized form.

Traditional grammar struggles to deal with ambiguous grammatical structures, where meaning can be unclear.