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Learning some terminology

It is important to understand the full scope of linguistics. Linguistics is really just a collective name for all the different aspects of studying language. Going from the smallest units (sounds) to the biggest (sentences and how you can use them) the field of linguistics can be divided into the following five parts:

phonetics phonology syntax semantics pragmatics

>Phonetics is the study of human speech sounds. A phonetician studies the position of the vocal chords, tongue and teeth during production of sounds and records and analyses sound waves.

>Phonology studies the system that underlies the use of sounds in a certain language. A language is not just a random collection of individual sounds. Instead, the sounds are organised in an orderly system. Phonologists study the way in which sounds behave in languages.

>Syntax can be split into word syntax (a.k.a. morphology) and sentence syntax. Syntacticians study the structures of sentences (or words); i.e. in what way can which words be put together to form a sentence. In this course we will use the term ‘>morphology’ when we talk about word-syntax, and the term ‘syntax’ when we mean sentence syntax.

>Semantics and >pragmatics are concerned with meaning and use of language. The difference between the two will become clear in the chapter about meaning.

: definitions largely taken from: >Teach Yourself Linguistics and >Key Concepts in Language and Linguistics ::

Sometimes people use the word >grammar instead of >syntax. However, it is more common to use the word >grammar to refer to phonology, syntax and semantics together. A grammar is then the set of ‘rules’ that applies to sounds, the way these sounds are patterned and put together in words, the way these words are put together in sentences and the way these sentences can convey meaning. >Syntax is the part of the language which links together the sound patterns (phonology) and the meaning (semantics).

You probably know the word ‘grammar’ from language lessons in school. That sort of grammar gives you rules on how you should use language. It is called a >prescriptive grammar because it prescribes rules (e.g. do not use split-infinitives). This is not the sort of grammar we talk about here. Linguists are concerned with describing language as it is really used. This is called >descriptive grammar. Linguists try to analyse and describe the patterns that can be found in real language use. For example, in real life people do split infinitives and linguists try to explain why some people can accept split-infinitives while other people cannot.

Terminology, such as subject and object, noun and verb, definite and indefinite, will be introduced when and where you will need them, so you don’t have to worry about them just yet. Most of it will sound at least somewhat familiar anyway. Don’t worry though; we will not make you learn lists of terms by heart! We will explain why things are called what they’re called and we will show you the importance of using them. By the end of this course you’ll be using words like tense and predicate as if you’d always known them!

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(syntax)



Dutch Linguistics Home Welcome Outline of course Terminology Syntax Sound structure Meaning Glossary References Further reading Feedback form Copyright Close Studypack	Learning some terminology It is important to understand the full scope of linguistics. Linguistics is really just a collective name for all the different aspects of studying language. Going from the smallest units (sounds) to the biggest (sentences and how you can use them) the field of linguistics can be divided into the following five parts: phonetics phonology syntax semantics pragmatics >Phonetics is the study of human speech sounds. A phonetician studies the position of the vocal chords, tongue and teeth during production of sounds and records and analyses sound waves. >Phonology studies the system that underlies the use of sounds in a certain language. A language is not just a random collection of individual sounds. Instead, the sounds are organised in an orderly system. Phonologists study the way in which sounds behave in languages. >Syntax can be split into word syntax (a.k.a. morphology) and sentence syntax. Syntacticians study the structures of sentences (or words); i.e. in what way can which words be put together to form a sentence. In this course we will use the term ‘>morphology’ when we talk about word-syntax, and the term ‘syntax’ when we mean sentence syntax. >Semantics and >pragmatics are concerned with meaning and use of language. The difference between the two will become clear in the chapter about meaning. : definitions largely taken from: >Teach Yourself Linguistics and >Key Concepts in Language and Linguistics :: Sometimes people use the word >grammar instead of >syntax. However, it is more common to use the word >grammar to refer to phonology, syntax and semantics together. A grammar is then the set of ‘rules’ that applies to sounds, the way these sounds are patterned and put together in words, the way these words are put together in sentences and the way these sentences can convey meaning. >Syntax is the part of the language which links together the sound patterns (phonology) and the meaning (semantics). You probably know the word ‘grammar’ from language lessons in school. That sort of grammar gives you rules on how you should use language. It is called a >prescriptive grammar because it prescribes rules (e.g. do not use split-infinitives). This is not the sort of grammar we talk about here. Linguists are concerned with describing language as it is really used. This is called >descriptive grammar. Linguists try to analyse and describe the patterns that can be found in real language use. For example, in real life people do split infinitives and linguists try to explain why some people can accept split-infinitives while other people cannot. Terminology, such as subject and object, noun and verb, definite and indefinite, will be introduced when and where you will need them, so you don’t have to worry about them just yet. Most of it will sound at least somewhat familiar anyway. Don’t worry though; we will not make you learn lists of terms by heart! We will explain why things are called what they’re called and we will show you the importance of using them. By the end of this course you’ll be using words like tense and predicate as if you’d always known them! next (syntax)