Linguistics is a major that provides insight into one of the most intriguing aspects of human knowledge and behavior. Majoring in linguistics means learning about many aspects of human language, including sounds (phonetics, phonology), words (morphology), sentences (syntax), and meaning (semantics).
In modern historical linguistics, we examine how languages change over time, focusing on the relationships between dialects within a specific period.
linguistics, the scientific study of language. The word was first used in the middle of the 19th century to emphasize the difference between a newer approach to the study of language that was then developing and the more traditional approach of philology. The differences were and are largely matters of attitude, emphasis, and purpose.
Linguistics is the scientific study of language, and its focus is the systematic investigation of the properties of particular languages as well as the characteristics of language in general.
Linguists (experts in linguistics) work on specific languages, but their primary goal is to understand the nature of language in general by asking questions such as: What distinguishes human language from other animal communication systems? What features are common to all human languages?
Linguistics is a human science—in fact, one of the foundational disciplines in the western intellectual tradition—and may be compared with programs such as sociology, psychology or anthropology. As with all human sciences, there are several sub-fields in linguistics:
At its core, linguistics is the scientific study of language. It is not about learning to speak different languages (though that can be a part of it); instead, linguists are interested in the structure, function, and history of all languages.