Language and linguistics

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If you are new to Linguistics as a subject you may well be unsure what it involves. In this section you can read about how to study linguistics and about some linguistics terms and concepts so you can get a head start!

How to study linguistics

“One of the extraordinary things about language is the way in which we take it for granted as though it were a given fact of life like being able to breathe. In a sense this is inevitable and to a certain extent, perhaps, even desirable. If every time we spoke or wrote anything we were struck not only by the strangeness or oddness of the words we were using, but also by the fact that we had the capacity to speak or write at all we should probably never get anything done. Knowledge advances by making certain processes automatic, but in so doing it also hides from us their nature and operation, and even their very existence. “ [from How to Study Linguistics by Geoffrey Finch, chapter 2]

Find out more about these hidden processes in How to Study Linguistics by Geoffrey Finch. Chapters discuss strategies for studying phonology, syntax and semantics, and for pursuing branches of linguistics, such as sociolinguistics, stylistics and psycholinguistics, as well as practical advice on writing essays.

Linguistic terms and concepts

Phoneme / Phonologist
Phonologists examine the systematic relationships between sounds within the grammar of the language. Of central importance here is the concept of the PHONEME. Phonemes are abstract units of sound which are part of the mental apparatus of native users of the language, and which constitute our essential competence as speakers and listeners. Having said that, however, not all linguists accept their existence. Some prefer to see the structural relationships between sounds in terms of their distinctive features.

Semantics
Semantic investigation of language operates at two grammatical ranks: word rank, and sentence rank. At word rank semanticists explore the relationships which words have with each other within the language as a whole. This constitutes their SENSE, that is, the meaning which a word has by virtue of its place in the linguistic system.

Stylistics
Stylistics is concerned with using the methodology of linguistics to study the concept of ‘style’ in language. Every time we use language we necessarily adopt a style of some sort: we make a selection from a range of syntactic and lexical possibilities according to the purpose of the communication.

These sample definitions are taken from Key Concepts in Language and Linguistics by Geoffrey Finch

An invaluable glossary full of significant liguistic terms and concepts, the book also provides a very useful overview of the subject as well as covering principal figures in linguistic criticism and their contribution to the subject. An ideal companion to How to Study Linguistics.