major branches of linguistics

Anthropological linguistics

Looks at how language and culture are connected.

Language acquisition

The process by which kids learn a first language or older folks learn a second language.

Historical linguistics

The study of the origins and evolution of language, especially the study of how languages change over time.

Language revitalization

The process of bringing languages that are no longer widely spoken back to life. Linguists don’t revitalize languages on their own, but they work closely with communities who seek to revitalize their languages.

Language typology

The study of the systematic patterns that are found in the languages of the world.

Morphology

The study of how meaningful parts of words combine with each other.

Neurolinguistics

The study of how language is related to brain function.

Phonetics

The study of what sounds the speakers of a language use and how they make them.

Phonology

The study of how the sounds of a language systematically combine to form patterns.

Pragmatics

The study of how language is used in interactive contexts such as conversation, email, and teaching.

Semantics

The study of how meaning is expressed through language.

Sociolinguistics

The study of how the form of language varies across different social contexts.

Speech perception

The process of perceiving speech sounds.

Speech production

the process of producing speech sounds.

Syntax

The study of how words and phrases combine to form sentences.