Branches of Linguistics

1. Branches of Linguistics

2. Linguistics encompasses

Language Acquisition (L1 and L2),
Psycho/Neuro - linguistics,
Language Teaching,
Sociolinguistics,
Humor Studies,
Pragmatics,
Discourse Analysis/Rhetorics,
Text/Processing/Translation,
Computational Linguistics – Machine Translation,
Corpus Linguistics,
Language Control/ Dialectology

3. Scope of Linguistics

4. What is Phonetics?

Phonetics It is a branch of linguistics that deals with sound features or qualities andtheir
arrangement into speech sounds, or phones.
Phonetics is the study of sound. This study specifically investigates how speech is
produced through the use of speech organs.
Phonetics also demonstrates the speech production mechanism.
Phonemics or Phonology It is a branch of linguistics that deals with phones andtheir
arrangement into groups or families called phonemes.
Phonology essentially describes the phonetic systems and patterns in language.
It is based on the theory that all speakers of a language subconsciously know about the
sound patterns of that language.

5. Morphemics

It is a branch of linguistics that deals with speech sounds and
their arrangement into meaningful groups called morphs.
It is also concerned with the arrangement of these morphs into
family groups called morphemes and the combination of
morphemes into words.
Morphology is the study of the analysis of the expressive system
of a language and is concerned with identifying morphemes and
how they are distributed or combined into longer utterances.

6. Syntax

It is a branch of linguistics that deals with syntactic structures
which are called phrases, clauses, and sentences.
Syntax is the study of arranging words into phrases, clauses,
sentences, or syntactic structures.
The smallest unit of syntax is a word.
When two or more words are arranged in a certain way, the
results are related to syntax construction.

7. Semantics

It is a branch of
linguistics that deals
with the study of the
meaning of
language.
Semantics is part of
the actual grammar,
the study of the inner
workings of the
language.
In general, this work
deals with
explanations of the
meaning of words
and sentences .

8. Pragmatics

An important element
in the interpretation of
texts is the body of
knowledge, often
called pragmatics.
These include the
attitudes and beliefs
behind speakers and
receivers,
understanding the
context in which
sentences are uttered,
and knowledge of how
language is used to
convey information.

9. Psycholinguistics as a branch of science

Psycholinguistics (PL) is the study of the
relationship between language and the brain.
Psycholinguists view the study of human
language as inseparable part from the study of
the working of the brain.
Psycholinguists examine the most crucial
issues about the interaction between the brain
and language in relation to how language is
acquired, processed and stored.

10. Main Problems of Psycholinguistics

Sentence processing: how we understand sentence.
Morphological processing: how we recognize
morphologically complex words and how we
represent relations between related words.
Spoken word recognition: how we parse an acoustic
stream into discrete units and then how we recognize
those discrete units as words of our language.

11.

12. PL…

is the field that studies the unconscious
processes that underlie our language
abilities (Matthew Crocker)
explores the relationship between the
human mind and language. It treats the
language user as an individual rather than
a representative of a society (John Field)
is mentioned as the study of the
relationship between language and
behavioral characteristics of those who
use it (the Random House Dictionary)

13. The object of PL is language.

as a system of symbols used
for meaningful communication;
as a definite system of mental and psychological
(behavioral) operations by means of which we operate
directly on the world around us and fix the results in
the linguistic form;
as a means of communication.

14.

Sociolinguistics
➢Like Pragmatics, it’s the study of the use of language
➢The study of language in its social contexts
➢Speech community - group of people who share some set of social
conventions (socioling norms) regarding language use - EXAMPLES?
➢Accent - pronunciation
➢Dialect - includes pronunciation (phonological/phonetic), but also includes
grammatical, lexical and usage - MFL example
➢Some examples of homophones for some -- hock/hawk, caller/collar,
cot/caught, calm/com, Don/Dawn
➢Variety - used as a more neutral term for dialect or language
1) Mary = merry = marry
2) Mary = merry marry
3) Mary merry = marry
4) Mary = marry merry???

15.

Sociolinguistics
➢Dialects in North America are mutually intelligible - the differences do not
impede communication totally
➢Dialect continuum – go village by village, from northwestern France to
southern Italy and each adjacent village can understand each other, although
Parisians cannot understand Romans.

16.

Sociolinguistics
Linguistic variation and change
➢Social Factors:
➢Style
➢ Region - what are the major dialects/accents spoken in America?
➢Sex/Gender
➢Social class
➢Age
➢Ethnicity

17.

Sociolinguistics
➢Style or register - what does this mean? Formal/informal
➢Jargon is specific vocabulary tied to a specific event or setting (snowboard
jargon, linguistic jargon, computer jargon, etc)
➢Slang - helps to show in- and out-group membership. Fad new words or new
meanings on old words - EXAMPLES?

18.

Sociolinguistics - region
What are the different regional accents in your opinion?

19.

Sociolinguistics
Linguistic variation and change

20.

Sociolinguistics
Linguistic variation and change

21.

Sociolinguistics
Linguistic variation and change
➢Regional varieties described in terms of
lexical choices done through Linguistic Atlas
creation
➢Dialectologists looked at NORMs =
old men in the sticks!
(non-mobile old rural men)
➢Asked what is the word you use for...
➢Plotted variation on a map and drew lines –
isoglosses (see image →)
➢Now sociolinguists look at urban
populations and exam different regions in
terms of what is happening in the cities

22.

Sociolinguistics
Linguistic variation and change – cot vs. caught

23.

Sociolinguistics
Linguistic variation and change
➢Regional difference is post-vocalic r (car, card, guard, etc)
➢William Labov - NYC - listen to a New Yorker
➢Style – attitudes about varieties
Remember this???
Coffee shop with a sign:
“We’re sorry - no blended drinks today.
The blender is broke.”
This sign was in Portland area – where would you expect to see it
(based on stereotypes – not your opinion if they’re real) [stereotypes
based on class/education/income]

24.

Sociolinguistics
Linguistic variation and change
➢Style and ling change interacts with social class
➢ → William Labov’s department store study

25.

Sociolinguistics
Linguistic variation and change
• There are many different varieties - what is correct?
Standard English is just one of many different varieties
• Linguistics try to describe these varieties and all the
varieties are equal in linguistics terms
• What would happen if I said that Standard English meant
that you have to distinguish between cot~caught, tot~taught,
hock~hawk, Don~dawn, collar~caller? How would that
make you feel?
• Are other dialects mutually intelligible – here some sounds
here from the Northern Cities area: Northern Cities Shift (not
#5)

26.

Sociolinguistics
Linguistic variation and change
➢Regional difference by vowel production shifts (language change) over
time
➢Northern Cities Shift (play Chicago sample - 3mins)

27.

Sociolinguistics
Linguistic variation and change
➢The Southern Shift (Play Arkansas 2mins; play Eng 3mins;

28.

Sociolinguistics
Linguistic variation and change
➢The California/Canada Shift (Play Cali - 1:45; Ontario 2:15)

29.

Sociolinguistics
Linguistic variation and change
➢The California/Canada Shift (Play Cali - 1:45; Ontario 2:15)

30.

Sociolinguistics
Linguistic variation and change
➢Ethnicity - Chicano English, African American Vernacular English, Native
American English; etc.
➢AAVE - shares features with other English dialects
➢Phonological features part of other varieties
➢Habitual be, copula deletion - more elaborate than standard English
➢ The coffee cold today. The coffee be cold here.

31.

Sociolinguistics
Linguistic variation and change
➢Ethnicity - African American Vernacular English,

32.

Sociolinguistics
Linguistic variation and change
➢Ethnicity - African American Vernacular English,

33.

Sociolinguistics
Gender variable - different degree of usage for men
and women
Do men and women speak differently?
What are the assumptions here...

34.

Sociolinguistics
Some say... women use more hedges in their speech - EXAMPLES?
• TRUE OR FALSE?
Grammatical gender - not directly related to real men and women, but most
langs with gram gender do use the masc forms as generic (ellos vs. ellas)
The switch from he as “neutral” pronoun to they

35.

Sociolinguistics
Gender differences of linguistic behavior: Discourse
Hedges
Interruption - men have been found to interrupt women more than vice-versa (even when
woman is a doctor and power is involved)
In a review article looking at 63 studies investigating the amount of talk by sex (studies from
1951-1991) - only 2 of these studies found women to talk more overall, but there are
differences with respect to topic and formality of situation See here for more details