What is Linguistics?
Linguistics is the scientific study of language. It deals with both systematic investigation of the properties of a particular language and understanding the general characteristics that are common in all languages. Like all other intellectual disciplines, the main goal of Linguistics is to understand and learn more about the world. It explores how languages change over time, how languages are processed and stored in the mind and also studies how languages are acquired by adults and children.
Let’s dive a little deeper into the world of Linguistics to learn more about it.
Scopes of Linguistics
The scope of Linguistics is vast as it involves complex and systematic study, it has several core areas such as phonetics, syntax and semantics etc. Linguistics complements a wide range of other disciplines, including anthropology, philosophy, psychology, sociology, biology, computer science, health sciences, education, and literature, thanks to its close connection to the humanities, social sciences, and scientific sciences. Interdisciplinary in nature, Linguistics has various fields of specialisations such as Sociolinguistics (sociology and language), Psycholinguistics (psychology and language, Applied Linguistics, Computational Linguistics etc.
Types and Branches of Linguistics include:
Type and Branches of Linguistics
*Phonetics The study of how speech sounds are produced and perceived.
*Phonology The study of sound patterns and changes.
*Morphology The study of word structure.
*Syntax The study of sentence structure.
*Semantics The study of Linguistic meaning.
*Pragmatics The study of how language is used in context.
*Historical Linguistics The study of the origins of languages and how it evolves and changes.
*Sociolinguistics The study of the impact and relation between society and language.
*Psycholinguistics The study of how humans acquire and use language.
*Computational Linguistic The study of how computers can understand and process human language.
*Stylistics The study examines the style and tone of written and verbal communication of a language.
*Applied Linguistics It is the study of language in terms of its real-life application.
Now, let’s learn a little more about some of the most important subfields of linguistics:
Applied Linguistics
Applied Linguistic deals with solving real-life problems that are encountered in the practical application of language. It is interdisciplinary in nature and draws knowledge from the different academic fields.
Sociolinguistics
Sociolinguistics is the branch of Linguistics that deals with the social and cultural impacts on language. It studies what makes one dialect more “prestigious” than others and also what happens when two languages come together in a bilingual society.
Computational Linguistics
Computational Linguistics combines computer science and technology with the study of language to understand the formations of written and spoken language used from the computational aspect. The main goal of a computational subject is to understand human language and to use technology to make new language tools.
Stylistics
Stylistics is another key branch of Linguistics, it studies the style and tone in both written and spoken language.
Phonology
Phonology is a major branch of Linguistics is the study of language sound systems. Phonology is the study of how sounds operate in languages, including phonemes, syllable structure, stress, accent, and intonation, as well as which sounds are different units within a language. It helps in learning and understanding a language more
Why Study Linguistics
Linguistics as a study helps us understand and analyse human language, as well as provides many viewpoints on how human languages evolved and the causes that influenced them.
The top main reasons why you should study Linguistics are:
- To understand and analyse the nature and theories of language
- To understand the vital role of language in human evolution and society
- To explore different aspects of a language such as Sociolinguistics, Psycholinguistics, etc.
Linguistic Courses
Linguistics is the systematic study of human language. The field involves analyzing and understanding language, language theory and sound systems. Most universities provide 3 types of courses in Linguistics: Diploma/Certification, Bachelors’s and Masters’s.
Here is some of the most popular Bachelor level degree offered in the field of Linguistics
Bachelor’s in English Language and Linguistics Bachelor of Languages and Linguistics
Bachelor of Communication (Linguistics) Bachelor/BA in Linguistics
BA in Linguistics and Language Applications BA English Language, Linguistics & TESOL
BA in Applied Linguistics Bachelor of Social Science (BSc) in Linguistics
BSc in Linguistics BA Linguistics (Combined)
Bachelor of Social Science, Bachelor of Laws in SocioLinguistics BA Hons in Comparative Literature, English Literature and Linguistics
Here are some of the most popular Master level degrees offered in the field of Linguistic
Master’s Degree in Cognitive Science and Language Research Masters in Linguistics Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology
MA in Semiotics Master’s in Applied Linguistics MA Linguistics and Intensive Language
Master in Humanities: Linguistics (Research) Master in Language and Mind: Linguistics and Cognitive Studies MA in Linguistics (Research)
Foreign languages and Linguistic Programs 2021 Average Tuition Fees
Bachelor $30.064
Master $26,353
The figures given above are the average fees of bachelor’s and master’s in Linguistics in the year 2020 to 2021, the tuition fee is subject to change every year and every college and university have different tuition fee for the courses they offer.
Top Universities and College for Linguistic Studies
Below you will find the best universities and colleges for higher education in the subject of Linguistics.
Top Universities and Colleges
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Harvard University
University of Cambridge
University of Edinburgh
University of Oxford
University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
Stanford University
University of Maryland, College Park
University of California, Los Angeles
Career in Linguistic
Linguists are those who study the subject of Linguistics. Studying Linguistic enable you to entertain different types of career pathways in a variety of sectors such as education, publishing, etc.
There is a wide range of careers and some of them are listed below.
- Speech therapist
- Teachers in any Linguistic field
- Foreign/English language teacher
- Translators
- Diplomats
- Psycholinguists/Sociolinguists/Historical linguists
- Writer/Journalist/Author
- Language consultant
- Lexicographer
- Research scholar
- Accent coach
- Proofreader/Editor
- Copywriter
Famous Linguists
- Roman Jakobson
- Ferdinand de Saussure
- Robin Lakoff
- Benjamin Whorf
- Edward Sapir
- Noam Chomsky
- Charles Peirce
Popular books on Linguistics
- The Language Instinct: Book by Steven Pinker
- The Power of Babel: Book by John McWhorter
- Through the Language Glass: Why the World Looks Different in Other Languages: Book by Guy Deutscher
- The Study of Language: Book by George Yule
- The Stuff of Thought: Book by Steven Pinker
- How Language Works: Book by David Crystal
- The Unfolding of Language: Book by Guy Deutscher
We hope through this blog you got all the information you need to pursue study in the field of Linguistics!
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