Tag: #linguistics

WHAT IS LINGUISTICS ?

Linguistics is the systematic study of language. Its focus is on language, in general , not on any individual language. The word linguistics is derived from Latin lingua meaning tongue and istics meaning knowledge or science. It studies language as a universal and recognizable part of human behavior . It investigates how the language is constructed, how it varies through space , how it is used, and how it is related to other languages. Hence the linguist studies the origin , organization ,nature and development of language descriptively ,historically , comparatively and explicitly and formulates general rules related to language . The linguist is one who studies language objectively , observing it scientifically , recording facts about language objectively , observing it scientifically , recording facts about language and deriving general principles for them. First study the language and second it tries to describe the language apply those theory in language .

The facts about language that interest a linguist are its sounds ,forms of words and the arrangement of words to form meaningful utterances. There are various approaches to the study of linguistics : historical, descriptive and comparative.

HISTORICAL LINGUISTICS :-

It studies the facts about a language for the purpose of describing the development of the language for a period of time. It traces language change and the causes and results of such changes that occurred from time to time.

DESCRIPTIVE LINGUISTICS:-

It deals with the description and analysis of the ways in which a language operates and is used by a given set of speakers at a given time. it is based on a structural approach to language.

COMPARATIVE LINGUISTICS:-

It is concerned with comparing two or more languages .It traces the evolution of language and by comparing one with another , establishes the relationship between them .

Linguistics may be considered as science . Like any other branch of science it has a well – defined subject matter called language. It makes use of methods like observation , recording and analysis of the various phenomena related to the study of language.

WHAT IS LANGUAGE?

Language is undoubtedly the most valuable single possession of the human race. Man is clearly distinguished from other species by his capacity for using language. The term language is derived from the Latin word lingua meaning tongue.

Language is our most effective means of communication .We communicate with others through speech and writing .Communication is more effective when we speak .We can make use of variations in voice ,gesture other features to reinforce what we say .Writing does not offer such conveniences. Again ,speech has been with us ever since human beings evolved as a distinct species. But writing claim to have a history of hardly six thousand years . Moreover speech comes first in life of individuals too. Hence historians of language consider speech as primary and writing as secondary. Considering these facts Wardaugh defines language as system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication .

Language helps man in several ways .It helps him to reach back into the collective knowledge of his ancestors. No one can ignore the role of language in placing humanity at the pinnacle of progress. Without language man would never have become fully human. Language is quite necessary for the continuity of civilization . It is mainly through language that human beings collect and preserve knowledge and transfer it to the next generation . It is not possible to imagine a society without language. Man’s social behavior is conditioned by the nature of his communication with fellow beings . That is why Barnett says ,”verbal communication is a condition of the existence of human society.”

It is true that animals too communicate .Some animals ,birds and insects have developed their own systems of communication .But their communicative systems are instinctively determined . They lack the flexibility and creativity of human language. Their communicative conventions are acquired genetically and not through learning.

The American linguist ,Charles F Hockett ,in a detailed study compared human communicative system with animal communicative system with animal communicative system with animal communicative systems. The aim of the study was to find out the essential defining characteristics of spoken language . He tried to determine what ‘counts’ as a human language as opposed to some other systems of communication . He identified thirteen characteristics of spoken language which he termed design features .They are , Auditory -vocal channel ,Broadcast transmission and directional reception, rapid fading , interchangeability total feedback, specialization ,semanticity , arbitrariness ,discreteness ,displacement ,productivity, traditional transmission and duality of patterning .

Linguistics

Linguistics is a discipline which involves the scientific study of language. This includes the analysis of form, meaning, and context of language. Traditionally it was done by observing an interplay between sound and meaning. The social, cultural, historical, and political factors that influence language are also studied. Linguistics is primarily a descriptive study and it describe and explain features of language without making subjective judgments on it. The earliest documentation and description of language studies were done by 6th century BC grammarian Panini. He wrote Astadhyayi which was a formal description of Sanskrit language. Contemporary linguists assume that spoken data and signed data are more fundamental than written data. Languages can undergo many internal changes which results in the development of subvarieties such as linguistic registers, accents, and dialects.

Related areas of language study are the disciplines of semiotics – the study of direct and indirect language through signs and symbols, literary criticism – the historical and ideological analysis of literature, cinema, art, or published material, translation – the conversion and documentation of meaning in text from one language to another, and speech-language pathology – a corrective method to cure phonetic disabilities and disfunctions at the cognitive level.

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Linguistics has several branches of study, namely,

Historical linguistics was one of the first sub disciplines and widely practiced form which was the study of language change over time with regards to a specific language or group of languages. Synchronic approach was focused on for some time which was the systemic study of the current stage in languages, and historical research was a field of linguistic inquiry. Language change and grammaticalization studies are other fields.

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Eco linguistics explores the role of language in the interactions of humans, other species and the physical environment. It sees humans not only as a part of society, but also as a part of the larger ecosystems that life depends on. It aims to connect with ecological issues, climate change, biodiversity and environmental justice. Historical and evolutionary linguistics focuses on how languages change and grow, over an extended period of time.

Sociolinguistics is the study of how language is influenced by social factors. It focuses on the synchronic approach of linguistics, and shows the variation and varieties within it at a given point in time. Sociolinguist researches include studying both style and discourse in language, along with the theoretical factors that are at play between language and society.

Developmental linguistics is the study of the development of linguistic ability in individuals, like the acquisition of language in childhood. Developmental linguistics looks into how children acquire different languages, how adults can acquire a second language, and the process of language acquisition.

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Neurolinguistics is the study of the structures in the human brain which help grammar and communication. It is the study of physiological mechanisms of the brain and how it processes information about language. It evaluates linguistic and psycholinguistic theories, by using aphasiology, brain imaging, electrophysiology, and computer modelling. The cerebellum contains the highest numbers of neurons and has a major role in terms of predictions required to produce language.

Evolutionary linguistics is the study of the emergence of language through human evolution, and the application of evolutionary theory to the study of cultural evolution among different languages. It is a highly interdisciplinary field which includes the working of linguists, biologists, neuroscientists, psychologists, mathematicians together.

Forensic linguistics is the application of linguistic studies to forensics. It is used to investigate the style, language, lexical use, linguistic and grammatical features used in the legal context to provide evidence in courts of law. Forensic linguists use their expertise in the framework of criminal cases.