The nature of language and the rules that govern its functioning constitute the object of study of linguistics.
Linguistics is that which belongs to or is related to language . The term, which derives from the French word linguistique , also allows mention of the science that has language as its object of study.
In this sense, it must be emphasized that there are currently approximately 6,000 languages in the world. However, when studying linguistics, it is based on a classification of languages that is carried out based on the common origin that they may have. That is, they are ordered according to family. Thus, based on this explanation, we can find the Indo-European languages , the Sino-Tibetan languages , the Afro-Asiatic languages , the Japonic languages , the Korean languages , the Uralo-Altaic languages and the Indo-Pacific languages , among others.
In this way, linguistics as a science focuses on the nature and patterns that govern language . Unlike philology , a discipline that delves into the historical evolution of languages in writings and in the context of literature and associated culture, linguistics allows us to discover the functioning of a language at a certain time, to understand its general evolution. .
Historical development of linguistics
The history of linguistics is very extensive, although the positioning of this field of knowledge as a science was only established in the 20th century . At that time, what is known as modern linguistics was born.
Before that instance, various studies were developed focused on issues such as the grammar , syntax and semantics of specific languages. This knowledge, in turn, allowed us to begin to generalize certain issues that were associated with the structure of languages .
This linguistics, which could be mentioned as pre-scientific, contributed to the teaching of languages such as Latin and favored the comparison of the characteristics of different languages. Various scholars, likewise, focused on researching specific topics such as the etymology of words, the construction of discourse , writing systems , alphabets and intonation .
The starting point of modern linguistics was the posthumous publication of "Course in General Linguistics" ( 1916 ), by Ferdinand de Saussure . It is considered that this work turned linguistics into a science integrated with semiology or semiotics . Since then, there has been a need to make a difference between language (understood as the entire system) and speech (that is, its implementation), as well as to review the definition of a linguistic sign (a resource where meaning is grouped together). and to the signifier).
structuralism
Saussure launched the linguistic movement called structuralism . For this expert, linguistics has to analyze the structure and way of functioning of languages in a synchronous way; that is, at a specific time. This implied a change with respect to traditional studies.
Taking into account a series of dichotomies, Saussure focused on language as a sign system . Thus he distinguished between language and speech ; the signifier and the signifier ; and syntagmatic and paradigmatic relations, for example.
One of Saussure 's great contributions was, as we already indicated, establishing that the linguistic sign is a combination of the signified (a concept) and the signifier (the acoustic image). The meaning is the idea that is constructed in the mind from the perceptible form of the signifier.
The language is analyzed by linguistics experts.
Generativism in linguistics
Already well into the 20th century , Noam Chomsky developed the current of generativism , which understands language as a consequence of the speaker's mental processing and his genetic (or innate, in other words) capacity to incorporate and use a certain language. .
The so-called generative grammar , in this framework, is a set of theories that enables the analysis of syntax and morphology . These postulates propose principles or rules that serve to predict the combinations that may arise in a sentence considered correct from a grammatical point of view.
The contributions of Saussure and Chomsky are usually framed in formalism . Derived from this approach, another relevant movement in this science was born, known as functionalism and with Simon C. Dik as the main reference.
The figure of Simon C. Dik
Dik , of Dutch origin, is recognized as the main promoter of the functionalist school , which can be defined as that branch that establishes that language cannot be studied or analyzed independently, but that it is necessary to take into account what the use given to it.
This fact brings with it the fact that within the functionalist school, which has Dik as one of its greatest figures thanks to his ideas and works such as the one titled "Functional Grammar" , great value is given to issues or elements such as variation linguistics or pragmatics. The latter field is dedicated to studying how the context in which the individual finds himself influences the way of interpreting the meaning in question of language.
Speech is an act of interest to linguistics.
Linguistics, language and speech
It should be noted that the study of language as a system can be carried out at different levels: the phonetic-phonological level ( phonology and phonetics , examining phonemes, spelling and other factors); the morphological (part of the morpheme as a minimum unit endowed with meaning), the syntactic (linked to syntax), the lexical ( lexicology and lexicography ) and the semantic (the meaning that linguistic signs have).
If we take speech into account, on the other hand, the text is considered the highest unit of communication . It is understood that a text is made up of various signs whose coding is specified in a specific writing system , forming a unit of meaning. Pragmalinguistics or pragmatics , in this context, is oriented to the analysis of discourse , dialogues and deixis, among other variables that make up the statement and the enunciation.
Its application in other sciences and disciplines
It cannot be overstated that linguistics, through various branches and specializations, is present in multiple scientific fields. The study of language acquisition and stylistics , to mention two cases, leads to resorting to the knowledge of linguistics.
Neurolinguistics (part of neurology ), psycholinguistics (framed within psychology ) and anthropological linguistics (related to anthropology ) are examples of this breadth. Areas such as applied linguistics (which investigates social problems linked to language) and historical linguistics (related to history by focusing on linguistic changes over time) also reflect the relevance of this science in different sectors.