WHAT IS

LINGUISTICS?
BY CÉSAR VELÁZQUEZ GALINDO
WHAT IS LINGUISTICS?

 What do you think Linguistics is?

 SO. WHAT IS LINGUISTICS?

 In teams of 3, discuss and come up with an

idea of what you think Linguistics might
be.
LINGUISTICS IS
NOT…

 A person who knows more than

one single language.
 Some one who is in the
translation field.
WHAT IS LINGUISTICS?

 It is the scientific study of the human language.

 What do you think?

MORE CHARACTERISTICS
 Linguists are more concerned with designing valid and general models of linguistic
structure rather than searching for proof in any strictly empirical sense.

 Linguistics deals with the inquiry of the systems and patterns of phonology,
morphology, syntax, and semantics inherent in a human language.

 The goal of linguistics is to provide valid analyses of language structure. Linguistic

theory is concerned with establishing a coherent set of independent principles to
explain phenomena in languages.
LINGUISTICS HAS TWO MAIN PURPOSES:

 One is that it examines all the forms of language in general and seeks a scientific understanding of the ways in
which it is organized to fulfill the needs it serves and the functions it performs in human life.

 The other is that it studies the nature of language and tries to establish a theory of language and describes
languages in the light of the theory established.
SO. WHAT IS LINGUISTICS?

 Linguistics is the study of language, not just of a

particular language, but of the system of human

communication.
COMMUNICATION PROCESS

 1. Sender
 2. Encoding
 3. Message
 4. Receiver
 5. Decoding
 6. Feedback
4 CONCEPTS OF LINGUISTICS

 Linguistics is the scientific study of language.  Linguists (experts in

linguistics) work on specific languages, but their primary goal is to
understand the nature of language in general. The main goal of linguistics,
like all other intellectual disciplines, is to increase our knowledge and
understanding of the world. Since language is universal and fundamental
to all human interactions, the knowledge attained in linguistics has many
practical applications. 
- UCLA Department of Linguistics
Linguistics is the study of language - how it is put together and how it functions. Various
building blocks of different types and sizes are combined to make up a language.
Sounds are brought together and sometimes when this happens, they change their form
and do interesting things. Words are arranged in a certain order, and sometimes the
beginnings and endings of the words are changed to adjust the meaning. Then the
meaning itself can be affected by the arrangement of words and by the knowledge of the
speaker about what the hearer will understand. Linguistics is the study of all of this.
-Summer Institute of Linguistics, Inc.
 Whether it’s telling a joke, naming a baby, using voice recognition
software, or helping a relative who’s had a stroke, you’ll find the study of
language reflected in almost everything you do. Linguistics studies
meaning, discourse, and many other language aspects that you have
always wondered about.

-Linguistic Society of America

 Linguistics is concerned with the nature of language and communication.
It deals both with the study of particular languages, and the search for
general properties common to all languages or large groups of languages.

-Arizona State University

In the same teams read the concepts again and take
whatever you consider is relevant to come up with your
own concept of Linguistics.