LINGUISTICS: THE MAIN BRANCHES
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LINGUISTICS: THE MAIN BRANCHES
LINGUISTICS: THE MAIN BRANCHES
Phonetics/phonology, syntax and semantics/pragmatics
constitute the principal levels of
linguistics. Whatever branch of the subject we look at we
shall inevitably find ourselves talking
about them. We use the metaphor of a tree here because this
seems the best way to capture the
relationship between these core areas, collectively the
“trunk”; and the individual disciplines, or
“branches”, which sprout from them. Changing the metaphor, we
could think of the core as the
hub of a wheel with the various branches as the individual
spokes radiating out. There are the
main ones, followed by a brief definition of each:
Sociolinguistics - the study of language and society.
Stylistics - the study of language and literature.
Psycholinguistics – the study of language and mind.
Computational Linguistics – the simulation of language by
the use of computers.
Comparative Linguistics – the study of different languages
and their respective linguistic
systems.
Historical Linguistics - the study of language change over
time.
Applied Linguistics – the study of language teaching. (You
will sometimes find that stylistics
and comparative linguistics are treated as sub-branches of
applied linguistics).
The branches have become more numerous over the years as the
subject has grown but,
arguably, the principal developments in linguistics in
recent years have been in stylistics,
sociolinguistics, and psycholinguistics. As a consequence, a
majority of the terms discussed in
this chapter are from these branches. The chapter begins
with a short introduction to each
branch, followed by detailed entries, alphabetically
arranged as usual, on key items.
Comprehension check
A. True / False exercise: Circle T (for true) or F (for
false) for each statement below.
1. When we study syntax, it means we’re studying one of the
principal levels of linguistics.
T - F
2. We won’t have to talk about linguistics if we choose
phonology as our major. T - F
3. The branches of linguistics can be described like the
metaphor of a tree. T - F
4. Another description of linguistics branches can be the
hub of a wheel with the individual
spokes radiating out. T - F
5. The number of branches of linguistics hasn’t increased in
recent years. T - F
B. Matching exercise
Match the definition of column A with the subject of
linguistics.
1. The study of language change over time.
a. Applied Linguistics
2. The study of language and mind
b. Psycholinguistics
3. The study of language teaching c. Sociolinguistics
4. The simulation of language by the use of
computer
d. Comparative Linguistics
5. The study of language and literature e. Historical
Linguistics
6. The study of language and society
f. Stylistics
7. The study of different languages and their
respective linguistic system
g. Computational Linguistics
What do you think?
Work in groups.
The languages that a person uses can tell us what group of
society that person belongs to.
Do you agree with the idea? Support your opinion?
Listening
Listen to the following test and fill in the blanks with the
missing words.
Idiom is language where the words are not used with their _____
basic meanings.
If you go to the ____________ once in a blue moon, you go
very rarely. If you haven’t
seen someone for donkey’s years, you haven’t ____________ him
for a very long time.
A _________part of language is idiomatic. Here are some
_____________examples.
She’s under the ____________I got cold feet.
Translation
LINGUISTICS: A BRIEF SURVEY
Linguistics is the systematic study of language. Some people
refer to it as the “science of
language” but I have avoided this description because it can
be misleading. The popular view
of language is that it is regulated by precise laws which
prescribe the “correct” use of words, a
little in the manner that Newtonian physics does the
operation of the solar system. But the
merest acquaintance with language shows us it is not like
that. Language is notoriously
slippery; words change their meaning and pronunciation form
continually, they never stay still.
This fertile capacity of language for endless diversity
means that any attempt to reduce it to a
set of laws is fraught with danger.
None the less, it is true to say that linguists approach
language in a scientific manner. First of
all, they adopt an objective, or disinterested, stance. They
have no axe to grind: they are not
concerned, like some politicians and educators, in enforcing
or promoting any “standards” of
language use. Secondly, their method is empirical, that is
they proceed by observation,
description and explanation. These are the three stages of
linguistic enquiry distinguished by
the linguist Noam Chomsky. Linguists begin by observing the
way in which “people use
language, on the basis of which they provide a description
of language use, and finally, when
all the data has been analyzed, an explanation.
Explanations of language use are the stage at which
linguists endeavour to establish the
underlying rules which speakers are following. It is a basic
presupposition of modern
linguistics that language is rule-governed, i.e., those
speakers obey an internalized set of
instructions in the way the construct and use sentences. The
word “internalized” is important
here, because these rules are derived not from any kind of
external authority, like a dictionary
or grammar, but from the speaker’s own intuitive knowledge, or
competence. Once the rules for
particular languages have been mapped in this empirical
fashion the linguist hopes to provide a
model which will explain how all languages work.
The production of this model, or universal grammar, is the
pinnacle of linguistic enquiry.
English for Philology
Compiled by NGUYEN THI BICH THUY (2003)
HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF PEDAGOGY
FOREIGN LANGUAGE SECTION
Text rearranged by Dr. B.A. NEDDAR
Phonetics/phonology, syntax and semantics/pragmatics
constitute the principal levels of
linguistics. Whatever branch of the subject we look at we
shall inevitably find ourselves talking
about them. We use the metaphor of a tree here because this
seems the best way to capture the
relationship between these core areas, collectively the
“trunk”; and the individual disciplines, or
“branches”, which sprout from them. Changing the metaphor, we
could think of the core as the
hub of a wheel with the various branches as the individual
spokes radiating out. There are the
main ones, followed by a brief definition of each:
Sociolinguistics - the study of language and society.
Stylistics - the study of language and literature.
Psycholinguistics – the study of language and mind.
Computational Linguistics – the simulation of language by
the use of computers.
Comparative Linguistics – the study of different languages
and their respective linguistic
systems.
Historical Linguistics - the study of language change over
time.
Applied Linguistics – the study of language teaching. (You
will sometimes find that stylistics
and comparative linguistics are treated as sub-branches of
applied linguistics).
The branches have become more numerous over the years as the
subject has grown but,
arguably, the principal developments in linguistics in
recent years have been in stylistics,
sociolinguistics, and psycholinguistics. As a consequence, a
majority of the terms discussed in
this chapter are from these branches. The chapter begins
with a short introduction to each
branch, followed by detailed entries, alphabetically
arranged as usual, on key items.
Comprehension check
A. True / False exercise: Circle T (for true) or F (for
false) for each statement below.
1. When we study syntax, it means we’re studying one of the
principal levels of linguistics.
T - F
2. We won’t have to talk about linguistics if we choose
phonology as our major. T - F
3. The branches of linguistics can be described like the
metaphor of a tree. T - F
4. Another description of linguistics branches can be the
hub of a wheel with the individual
spokes radiating out. T - F
5. The number of branches of linguistics hasn’t increased in
recent years. T - F
B. Matching exercise
Match the definition of column A with the subject of
linguistics.
1. The study of language change over time.
a. Applied Linguistics
2. The study of language and mind
b. Psycholinguistics
3. The study of language teaching c. Sociolinguistics
4. The simulation of language by the use of
computer
d. Comparative Linguistics
5. The study of language and literature e. Historical
Linguistics
6. The study of language and society
f. Stylistics
7. The study of different languages and their
respective linguistic system
g. Computational Linguistics
What do you think?
Work in groups.
The languages that a person uses can tell us what group of
society that person belongs to.
Do you agree with the idea? Support your opinion?
Listening
Listen to the following test and fill in the blanks with the
missing words.
Idiom is language where the words are not used with their _____
basic meanings.
If you go to the ____________ once in a blue moon, you go
very rarely. If you haven’t
seen someone for donkey’s years, you haven’t ____________ him
for a very long time.
A _________part of language is idiomatic. Here are some
_____________examples.
She’s under the ____________I got cold feet.
Translation
LINGUISTICS: A BRIEF SURVEY
Linguistics is the systematic study of language. Some people
refer to it as the “science of
language” but I have avoided this description because it can
be misleading. The popular view
of language is that it is regulated by precise laws which
prescribe the “correct” use of words, a
little in the manner that Newtonian physics does the
operation of the solar system. But the
merest acquaintance with language shows us it is not like
that. Language is notoriously
slippery; words change their meaning and pronunciation form
continually, they never stay still.
This fertile capacity of language for endless diversity
means that any attempt to reduce it to a
set of laws is fraught with danger.
None the less, it is true to say that linguists approach
language in a scientific manner. First of
all, they adopt an objective, or disinterested, stance. They
have no axe to grind: they are not
concerned, like some politicians and educators, in enforcing
or promoting any “standards” of
language use. Secondly, their method is empirical, that is
they proceed by observation,
description and explanation. These are the three stages of
linguistic enquiry distinguished by
the linguist Noam Chomsky. Linguists begin by observing the
way in which “people use
language, on the basis of which they provide a description
of language use, and finally, when
all the data has been analyzed, an explanation.
Explanations of language use are the stage at which
linguists endeavour to establish the
underlying rules which speakers are following. It is a basic
presupposition of modern
linguistics that language is rule-governed, i.e., those
speakers obey an internalized set of
instructions in the way the construct and use sentences. The
word “internalized” is important
here, because these rules are derived not from any kind of
external authority, like a dictionary
or grammar, but from the speaker’s own intuitive knowledge, or
competence. Once the rules for
particular languages have been mapped in this empirical
fashion the linguist hopes to provide a
model which will explain how all languages work.
The production of this model, or universal grammar, is the
pinnacle of linguistic enquiry.
English for Philology
Compiled by NGUYEN THI BICH THUY (2003)
HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF PEDAGOGY
FOREIGN LANGUAGE SECTION
Text rearranged by Dr. B.A. NEDDAR
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