Nature of Language

Linguistics

The scientific study of language as a system, encompassing sound, words, sentences, societal operation, and cognitive representation.

Function vs form

Two common types of language knowledge - function involves communication skills, while form relates to knowing words and their arrangement rules.

Areas of Study

Linguistics covers phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, language acquisition, and sociolinguistics.

Phonetics

The study of speech sounds and their patterns.

Phonology

Focuses on the study of patterns in speech sounds and the rules governing sound structures.

Morphology

The study of the structure of words and their components.

Syntax

Concerned with the structure of phrases and sentences in a language.

Semantics

The study of language and meaning, including how propositions are understood as true or false.

Pragmatics

Examines how context contributes to linguistic meaning and understanding beyond the literal words.

Key Features of Language

Includes arbitrariness, discreteness, compositionality, creativity, and rule-governedness as fundamental aspects of all languages.