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How to Be a Linguist

Wednesday, August 06, 2008
 

Instructions

Theoretical Linguistics

  • Step 1:
    Phonetics is how sounds are produced and perceived, whereas phonology is how the patterns of those sounds are arranged in a given language.
  • Step 2:
    Morphology deals with the structure of words, while syntax deals with the structure of sentences.
  • Step 3:
    Semantics is the meaning behind the word or sentence.

Applied Linguistics

  • Step 1:
    Language acquisition is the study of how children first learn to speak and how second languages are learned later in life.
  • Step 2:
    Computational linguistics, or natural language processing, is a merger between computer science and linguistics and deals with a wide variety of fields.
  • Step 3:
    Sociolinguistics is the study of languages within a society or culture.
  • Step 4:
    Psycholinguistics studies the psychological and neurobiological aspects of language acquisition and use, and is closely related to neurolinguistics.

Tips & Warnings

  • There are many different sub-fields within linguistics and within each of the topics outlined above. This is just an introduction to the study of languages, and you can pursue each sub-division in a lengthy course of studies.

How to Be a Linguist Provided by eHow.com
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