Linguistics Terms

Linguistics

the scientific (objective) study of human language; we use linguistic data/evidence to explain how language works. Data is anything that anyone says

Grammar

specific rules that dictate how we use language; the rules come from the data (what people say)

Rules for grammar

Languages

different manifestations of human language in general; every language is a part of human language ; each language has rules that are specific to that language but all the rules of all languages derive from the universal grammar of human language

Human language

is the capacity that humans have to learn any language; it is the template for all languages; a synonym for human language is universal grammar

Dialect

a variety of language

Idodialect

a variety of speech of a single person

Descriptive grammar

all the rules of every form of human language

Prescriptive grammar

just the rules that a group/society deems proper

Universal grammar

is the template for learning any human language and therefore it includes everything that all languages have in common

Speech

the basic, fundamental part of language, and in combination with sign language is a part of universal grammar

Writing

is secondary and not fundamental part of universal grammar

Arbitrary

words in all languages are sounds/symbols which represent things that are totally unrelated to the sound/symbol representing them. 

Recursive

the capacity for all languages to keep adding to sentences using the syntax of the language

Creative

the capacity to create and infinite numer of sentences in any language

Variation

the capacity for all languages to have a variety of different ways to say the same thing

Phonetics

the sounds of language (vowels and consonants)

Phonology

the study of the way sounds combine in words and sentences

Morphology

the study of the structure of words , the sounds that connect to each other to have a meaning

Syntax

the study of the structure of phrases and sentences

Semantics

the real world (extra-linguistic) meaning/content of words and sentences

Pragmatics

a subfield of semantics, the real world meaning/content of words and sentences in specific contexts/situations

Historical linguistics or diachronic linguistics

the study of language change over time; language change is universal to all languages

Diachronic linguistics

is the same as historical linguistics

Synchronic linguistics

the study of language as it is right now

Sociolinguistics

is a study of the different varieties of language according to region, context, gender, age, time, social/socioeconomic class, sexual orientation

Anthropological linguistics

is the same as linguistic anthropology, both similar to sociolinguistics

Chomsky is famous for… ?

For suggesting have an innate capacity for language a.k.a universal language

Structure dependent rule

states that grammatical operations, like forming questions, rely on the hierarchical structure of a sentence (phrases, clauses) rather than just the linear order of words