Linguistics
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Linguistics
Usually, when you think of linguistics the word
“languages” comes to mind, but Linguistics is the
scientific study of language*. Linguistics aims to
define how languages are developed in the human
mind and describes how human languages are formed
and how they work. This includes language structure,
sociolinguistics, grammar, syntax, semantics and,
phonetics.
What is linguistics all about?
Linguistics is a very descriptive field and the research
tends to be observation-based and reflects on the
analysis of human languages by dismantling their
form, evolution, development and studying how they
function. It is very much comparable to breaking up
languages and figuring out how they work.
Linguistics research tries to find answers to how our
brains put together sentences (structure), how we are
able to learn new languages (language acquisition)
and why languages change. The study of linguistics
looks into the analysis of factors that influence
language such as; social, cultural, philosophical
and political causes.
When did linguistics emerge?
The earliest account introducing modern linguistics
was found in the nineteenth-century whose
development is credited to Noam Chomsky: American
linguist and one of the founders of the field of cognitive
science.
The shift to modern linguistics came from
historical changes in languages over time. Linguistics
is regarded as a science in some areas as it uses
scientific methods to determine language quality.
Why is linguistics important?
Linguists are in demand because their knowledge of
linguistics helps us to better understand our place in
the world. By choosing to study linguistics, your
knowledge of language structure can be applied to
improving verbal and written communications
through translation and treating speech impediments.
Branches
Linguistics include a lot of branches like:
Morphology, Syntax, Phonetics,
Phonology, Semantics, Pragmatics,
Sociology-linguistics,
Language Acquisition, Historical
linguistics, Classification of language
and Bibliography.
Collocation:
A collocation is two or more words that often
go together.
These
combinations just sound "right" to native English
speakers, who use them all the time.
Examples:
Word "BIG":
The word big is often used in collocations
with a happening or event, for example:
a big accomplishment
a big decision
a big disappointment
a big failure
a big improvement
a big mistake
a big surprise
Word " Great":
EX; Great admiration, anger, enjoyment,
excitement, fun,happiness, joy,....."
Other Collocations :
Get
a chance, get a job, get ready, get a ticket, get a
call, save and
sound, sales force, satisfy demand, satisfy, keep a diary,
keep a promise, keep a
secret, keep an appointment, keep busy, keep fit,
keep in touch, keep quiet, kick a goal, know better,....
Adjective and noun
Bright color.
Nouns and verbs
The internet has created opportunities for his company.
Noun + noun
a surge of anger
a sense of pride
a pang of nostalgia
Verb and expression with prepositions
You could see his sister swelling with pride.
I was filled with horror when I read the newspaper
report of the war.
When she spilt apple-juice on her new blue skirt the
little girl burst into tears.
Verbs and adverbs
He pulled steadily on the rope and helped her to
safety.
She placed the beautiful jar gently on the window
ledge.
‘I love you and want to marry you,’ Michael whispered
softly to Clare.
He smiled proudly as he looked at the photos of his
new granddaughter.
Adverbs and adjectives
Ben and Jane are happily married.
You are fully aware that there are serious problems.
George was blissfully unaware that he was in danger.
Idioms:
Examples:
A fool and his money are soon parted
A fool at 40 is a fool forever
Make
waves, make or break, off the top of your head,
off hands, off the wall, out of the woods, out of the left
field, ugly as a stick, uncle Sam, under a cloud, up to
the neck, wag the dog, waiting in the wings, whole nine
yards, whole shebang,
It’s like cooking: combine flour and water, stick
it in the
oven for a bit, and you have bread. If you combine a verb
and certain prepositions, and stick it somewhere in a
sentence, you have
a phrasal verb.
However, baking the dough in a gas oven will
obviously
result in a different flavor than baking the dough over an
open fire; phrasal verbs don’t require such varied
treatment to have a different meaning, even if you’re
working with the same two words.
Sometimes all that’s required is they phrasal verb being
used in a different room of the house. This is where
the idiomatic meaning comes in.
Examples:
Look:
Look at, Look for, Look out, Look after, Look
like, Look up, Look around, Look back, Look down,
Look in,......
Get:
up, back, in, out, on, off, along, ahead, on, in,.....
Pick:
Pick up, Pick out, Take back, come up with, pay for,
sell off, sell out, try on, try out, bring in, queue, fork
out, splash out, blow up, break down,...
Slang
Slang is a type of language consisting of words and
phrases that are
considered to be very informal more
common in speech than in writing
typically restricted
to a particular context or group of people.
The problem for learners of English is to know when
or when not to use
slang. Many people condemn slang,
but in fact we all use it. The trick is to use slang in the
right context.
For the learner, perhaps the first thing to remember is
that slang is normally spoken, not written. The second
thing is that you may wish to learn slang so that you
can
understand it when you hear it, but not
necessarily to use it.
Examples:
Bail — Intransitive verb for leaving abruptly.
Feeling blue; have the blues —
A feeling of depression or sadness.
A buck — Slang term for a the American dollar.
By the skin of (my/your/his/her) teeth — just barely.
Creep (n.) — An unpleasantly weird/strange person.
Couch Potato — A lazy person who spends the bulk
of their time engaged in things that can be done while
sitting on a couch.
Cram — To study feverishly before an exam typically
done after neglecting to study consistently.
Crash — To abruptly fall asleep, or to show up without
invitation.
Down to earth — And adjective for practicality and
lack of pretense.
Chunks
When experienced readers read a text, they are able
to recognize groups of
words, such as noun phrases
or verb phrases, that go together to create meaning.
This is known as 'chunking' and it is a way of
describing how fluent readers are able
to read a text.
1-Chunks in speaking:
Examples:
We use chunks like:
1-You know,
2-You know what I mean,
3-I know what you’re saying,
to check and show understanding between
speaker and listener.
On the other hand,................
First of all..............
As a matter of fact,...
As a result,..........
And so forth,..........
3-Chunks as frames:
1- I don't know if...............
2-You know the boy who cried in the street yesterday?