Introduction to Linguistics

what is linguistics ?

Linguistics is the science of language(s). It is generally a descriptive discipline rather than a prescriptive one, which means that linguists do not lay down hard and fast rules about how to use a certain language, but rather concentrate on describing the rules which (especially native) speakers seem to have internalised. Apart from this, there are various different ways of ‘doing’ linguistics. For example, we can concentrate on language as used at a certain point of time e.g. in 1989; this is called synchronic linguistics.

 Phonetics

Phonetics is the study of sounds. To understand the mechanics of human languages one has to understand the physiology of the human body. Letters represent sounds in a rather intricate way. This has advantages and disadvantages. To represent sounds by letters in an accurate and uniform way the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) was created.

Places:

1.labial/bilabial (upper and lower lips)

<pie>, buy>, <my>

2. labiodental (lower lip + upper front teeth)

<fire>, <fun>, <vicious>

3. dental/interdental (tongue tip + upper front teeth)

<thigh>, <thy>

4. alveolar (tongue tip/blade + alveolar ridge)

<tie>, <die>, <lie>

5. retroflex (tongue tip + back of alveolar ridge)

 <rye>, <row>, <ray> and <hour>, <air>

Phonology

The phonology of a language is also the inventory of its phonemes, i.e. the sum of all those sounds that show distinctive (i.e. meaning- differentiating) phonetic differences RP as the standard (British) English sound system, for example, has

-          24 consonants,

-          12 vowels, and

-          8 diphthongs

Has many more allophones (such as clear and dark /l/ or aspirated plosives). By contrast, this table shows the phoneme inventory of standard mandarin, the official language of China: As can be seen, one major difference to English and is thus a redundant articulator feature constitutes a distinctive feature in mandarin Chinese, while another one (the voicing of plosives) is distinctive in English (i.e. it distinguishes meaning ), but not in Chinese.

Morphology

Morphology comes from a Greek word meaning ‘shape’ or ‘from’ and is used in linguistics to denote the study of words, both with regard to their internal structure and their combination or formation to form new or larger units .(by Susan Dostert )

Syntax

Syntax, together with inflectional morphology, belongs to what is in traditional terminology the 'grammar of a language'. People have many associations with that term and not all of them are necessarily positive. For example, some people believe that certain uses of language are instances of 'bad grammar', that everyday spoken language and youth slang 'lack grammar' or that the grammar of their native language is deteriorating. All these views are based on a normative, or prescriptive, attitude towards grammar, while linguists approach grammar, just like any other aspect of language, descriptively, in the same way that a biologist approaches an organism or a physician looks at molecules.

Semantics

One reoccurring theme in this reader (for example, in the chapters on phonology, morphology and syntax) has been is the focus on internal structure (for example of words and sentences) in contrast to meaning (i.e. what a piece of language tells us about the world). Semantics covers that domain of meaning.  (by Cornelius Puschmann)

Lexicology

Lexicology is the study of words and, whereas many readers will be new to the study of sounds or word segments, most of us feel that we are very familiar with words. We often ask: when’s the word for a stamp-collector?’ or say: I just can’t think of the right word.’ As we have already seen, words are only one of the strands in language, a strand that has, in the past, been given too much attention and a strand that, because of our familiarity with it, we have often failed to study as rigorously and as objectively as other aspects of language. In this chapter, we shall try, first of all, to say what a word is. We shall then consider word-formation and word classes. Other questions relating to words-their meaning and organization-will be dealt with in semantics.

 References

Cruttenden, Alan 2008. Gimson's pronunciation of English. Seventh Edition. London: Hodder Arnold Publication.

Sokolova, M.A. et al 1997. Prakticheskaya fonetika anglijskogo jazyka [English practical phonetics]. Moskva: Vlados

YORK HANDBOOKS.AN INTRODUCTION TO LINGUISTICS:LONGMAN YORK PRESS

http://www.tu- chemnitz.de/phil/english/chairs/linguist/independent/ kursmaterialien/introling

http://www.readingoldenglish.com/