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Digvijay Pandya, Lovely Professional University Unit 1: Introduction to Linguistics: Its Aspects

Unit 1: Introduction to Linguistics: Its Aspects Notes

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction
1.1 Is Linguistics a Science?
1.2 The Scope of Linguistics
1.3 Linguistic Levels
1.4 Some Major Linguistic Concepts
1.5 Summary
1.6 Key-Words
1.7 Review Questions
1.8 Further Readings

Objectives

After studying this Unit students will be able to:
• Understand Linguistic and its Aspects.
• Discuss the Scope of Linguistics.

Introduction
The word ‘Linguistics’ has been derived from Latin lingua (tongue) and istics (knowledge or
science). Etymologically, therefore, linguistics is the scientific study of language. But it is the study
not of one particular language but of human language in general. It studies language as a universal
and recognizable part of human behaviour. It attempts to describe and analyze language. The
field of linguistics comprises understanding of the place of language in human life, the ways in
which it is organized to fulfil the needs it serves, and the functions it performs.
So linguistics is that science which studies the origin, organisation, nature and development of
language descriptively, historically, comparatively and explicitly, and formulates the general rules
related to language. Diachronic (historical) linguistics studies the development of language through
history, through time, for example, the way in which French and Italian have evolved from Latin.
Synchronic linguistics investigates how the people speak and use language in a given speech
community at a given time. In Comparative linguistics one is concerned with comparing two or
more different languages.
Linguistics, therefore, is the science that describes and classifies languages. The linguist identifies
and describes the units and patterns of the sound system, the words and morphemes, and the
phrases and sentences, that is the structure of language, as completely, accurately, and economically
as possible.

1.1 Is Linguistics a Science?

Linguistics is the scientific study of language. Like all other sciences linguistics has a well-defined
subject matter, viz. natural languages, living or dead; it employs careful methods to observe,
record and analyse the various phenomena related to its subject matter and hopes to present
unprejudiced, objective and verifiable descriptions. The approach and methodology of linguistics
is scientific. It is as inductive as a science could be, and is based on observations, formation of

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