List of basic linguistics topics

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For a more comprehensive list, see the List of linguistics topics.

Linguistics is the scientific study of language. Someone who engages in this study is called a linguist. Linguistics can be theoretical or applied.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and introduction to linguistics:

Contents 1 Essence of linguistics 2 Branches of linguistics 2.1 Subfields of linguistics 2.2 Schools, movements, and approaches of linguistics 3 History of linguistics 3.1 Timeline of discovery of basic linguistics concepts 4 Basic questions in linguistics 5 Basic concepts 6 Languages of the world 6.1 Languages by country 7 Linguistics scholars 8 Linguistics lists 9 See also 10 External links

[edit] Essence of linguistics

Main article: Linguistics

[edit] Branches of linguistics

• Theoretical linguistics
• Applied linguistics

[edit] Subfields of linguistics

• Computational linguistics
• Comparative linguistics
• Dialectology
• Etymology
• Grammar
• Historical linguistics
• Interlinguistics
• Language didactics
• Lexicology
• Linguistic statistics
• Linguistic typology
• Morphology
• Phonetics
• Phonology
• Pragmatics
• Psycholinguistics
• Semantics
• Sociolinguistics

[edit] Schools, movements, and approaches of linguistics

• Cognitive linguistics
• Danish School
• Functionalism
• Generative linguistics
• Geneva School
• Neo-Grammarians
• Prague School
• Prescription and description
• Soviet linguistics
• Stratificational linguistics
• Structuralism
• Systemic linguistics
• SIL International
• Tagmemics

[edit] History of linguistics

Main article: History of linguistics

[edit] Timeline of discovery of basic linguistics concepts

When were the basic concepts first described and by whom?

• Ancient Sanskrit grammarians
• Ancient Greek study of language
• Roman elaborations of Greek study
• Medieval philosophical work in Latin
• Beginnings of modern linguistics in the 19th century
• Behaviorism and mental tabula rasa hypothesis
• Chomsky and functionalism
• Generative grammar leads to generative phonology and semantics
• Birth of Nicaraguan Sign Language
• Alternate syntactic systems develop in 80s
• Computational linguistics becomes feasible the late 80s
• Neurolinguistics and the biological basis of cognition
• Controversy over Pirahã number conception

[edit] Basic questions in linguistics

What are the basic questions asked in linguistics?

1. What is language?
2. How did it/does it evolve?
3. How does language serve as a medium of communication?
4. How does language serve as a medium of thinking?
5. What is common to all languages?
6. How do languages differ?
7. Is X a language or a dialect?

(The answers are not necessarily basic or easy to understand.)

[edit] Basic concepts

What basic concepts / terms do I have to know to talk about linguistics?

• Morphology
  • morpheme, inflection, paradigm, derivation, compound
• Phonology
  • phoneme, segment, syllable, foot, stress
• Grammar
  • tense, aspect, grammatical number, grammatical gender, declension
• Syntax
  • phrase, clause, grammatical function, grammatical voice
• Semantics
  • entailment, truth condition, compositionality
• Pragmatics
  • presupposition, implicature, deixis

[edit] Languages of the world

[edit] Languages by country

v • d • e Languages of Africa Sovereign states Algeria · Angola · Benin · Botswana · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cameroon · Cape Verde · Central African Republic · Chad · Comoros · Democratic Republic of the Congo · Republic of the Congo · Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) · Djibouti · Egypt · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Ethiopia · Gabon · The Gambia · Ghana · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Kenya · Lesotho · Liberia · Libya · Madagascar · Malawi · Mali · Mauritania · Mauritius · Morocco · Mozambique · Namibia · Niger · Nigeria · Rwanda · Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic · São Tomé and Príncipe · Senegal · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Somalia · South Africa · Sudan · Swaziland · Tanzania · Togo · Tunisia · Uganda · Zambia · Zimbabwe Dependencies, autonomies, other territories Canary Islands / Ceuta / Melilla (Spain) · Madeira (Portugal) · Mayotte / Réunion (France) · Puntland · St. Helena (UK) · Socotra (Yemen) · Somaliland · Southern Sudan · Western Sahara · Zanzibar (Tanzania) Italics indicate an unrecognised or partially recognised country.

v • d • e Languages of North America Sovereign states Antigua and Barbuda · Bahamas · Barbados · Belize · Canada · Costa Rica · Cuba · Dominica · Dominican Republic · El Salvador · Grenada · Guatemala · Haiti · Honduras · Jamaica · Mexico · Nicaragua · Panama1 · Saint Kitts and Nevis · Saint Lucia · St. Vincent and the Grenadines · Trinidad and Tobago1 · United States Dependencies and other territories American Samoa2 · Anguilla · Aruba1 · Bermuda · British Virgin Islands · Cayman Islands · Greenland · Guadeloupe · Guam2 · Martinique · Montserrat · Navassa Island · Netherlands Antilles · Northern Mariana Islands2 · Puerto Rico · St. Barthélemy · St. Martin · St. Pierre and Miquelon · Turks and Caicos Islands · United States Virgin Islands 1 Territories also in or commonly reckoned elsewhere in the Americas (South America). 2 Territories also in or commonly reckoned to be in the Pacific basin.

v • d • e Languages of South America Sovereign states Argentina · Bolivia · Brazil · Chile · Colombia · Ecuador · Guyana · Panama1 · Paraguay · Peru · Suriname · Trinidad and Tobago1 · Uruguay · Venezuela Dependencies Aruba1 / Netherlands Antilles1 (Netherlands) · Falkland Islands / South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (UK) · French Guiana (France) 1 Territories also in or commonly reckoned elsewhere in the Americas (North America).

v • d • e Languages of Asia Afghanistan · Armenia · Azerbaijan1 · Bahrain · Bangladesh · Bhutan · Brunei · Burma (Myanmar) · Cambodia · China · Cyprus · East Timor1 · Egypt1 · Georgia1 · Hong Kong · India · Indonesia1 · Iran · Iraq · Israel · Japan · Jordan · Kazakhstan1 · Korea (North Korea · South Korea) · Kuwait · Kyrgyzstan · Laos · Lebanon · Macau · Malaysia · Maldives · Mongolia · Nepal · Northern Cyprus2 · Oman · Pakistan · People's Republic of China · Palestinian territories3 · Philippines · Qatar · Republic of China · Russia1 · Saudi Arabia · Singapore · Sri Lanka · Syria · Taiwan · Tajikistan · Thailand · Turkey1 · Turkmenistan · United Arab Emirates · Uzbekistan · Vietnam · Yemen1 1 Transcontinental country.  2 Only recognised by Turkey.  3 Not fully independent.

v • d • e Languages of Europe Sovereign states Albania · Andorra · Armenia1 · Austria · Azerbaijan2 · Belarus · Belgium · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Bulgaria · Croatia · Cyprus1 · Czech Republic · Denmark4 · Estonia · Finland · France4, 5, 6 · Georgia2 · Germany · Greece · Hungary · Iceland · Republic of Ireland · Italy · Kazakhstan3 · Latvia · Liechtenstein · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Republic of Macedonia · Malta · Moldova · Monaco · Montenegro · Netherlands · Norway · Poland · Portugal · Romania · Russia3 · San Marino · Serbia · Slovakia · Slovenia · Spain6 · Sweden · Switzerland · Turkey3 · Ukraine · United Kingdom (England • Northern Ireland • Scotland • Wales) · Vatican City Dependencies, autonomies, other territories Abkhazia 2 · Adjara1 · Akrotiri and Dhekelia · Åland · Azores · Crimea · Faroe Islands · Gagauzia · Gibraltar · Greenland7 · Guernsey · Jan Mayen · Jersey · Kosovo · Isle of Man · Madeira8 · Nagorno-Karabakh1 · Nakhchivan1 · Northern Cyprus1 · South Ossetia 2 · Svalbard · Transnistria Italics indicates an unrecognised or partially recognised country. 1 Entirely in Southwest Asia.  2 Partially or entirely in Asia, depending on the border definitions.  3 / 4 / 5 / 6 Has part of its territory in Asia / North America / South America / Africa.  7 / 8 Entirely on the North American Plate / African Plate.

v • d • e Languages of Oceania  Australasia Australia · Christmas Island · Cocos (Keeling) Islands · New Zealand1 · Norfolk Island   Melanesia East Timor2 · Fiji · New Caledonia · Papua New Guinea3 · Solomon Islands · Vanuatu  Micronesia Federated States of Micronesia · Guam · Kiribati · Marshall Islands · Nauru · Northern Mariana Islands · Palau   Polynesia American Samoa · Cook Islands · French Polynesia · Niue · Pitcairn Islands · Samoa · Tokelau · Tonga · Tuvalu · Wallis and Futuna 1 Often included in Polynesia.  2 Often included in Southeast Asia.  3 Often included in Australasia.

[edit] Linguistics scholars

People who had a significant influence on the development of the field

• Benjamin Lee Whorf
• Claude Levi-Strauss
• Edward Sapir
• Ferdinand de Saussure
• Franz Bopp
• August Schleicher
• John Langshaw Austin
• John R. Searle
• Louis Hjelmslev
• Kenneth L. Pike
• M.A.K. Halliday
• Noam Chomsky
• Pāṇini
• Rasmus Rask
• Roman Jakobson
• Sir William Jones
• Noah Webster

[edit] Linguistics lists

Main article: List of linguistics topics

[edit] See also

• Number of words in English

[edit] External links

• Glottopedia, MediaWiki-based encyclopedia of linguistics, under construction
• Subfields according to the Linguistic Society of America
• Glossary of linguistic terms and French<->English glossary at SIL International
• "Linguistics" section of A Bibliography of Literary Theory, Criticism and Philology, ed. J. A. García Landa (University of Zaragoza, Spain)
• Linguistics and language-related wiki articles on Scholarpedia and Citizendium

v • d • e List resources Topic lists (Basic topic lists) · Glossaries · Countries · People · Timelines