General Linguistics

Linguistics is the general study of linguistic communication and the structure of languages. Languages are explored both as mental and social phenomena. Important questions are how people acquire languages and how languages develop in a longer historical perspective. Linguistics is primarily concerned with what is common to human languages and with general questions about how languages should be analysed and described. It thus complements special language subjects, which focus on individual languages or groups of related languages.

The expressive side of language is analyzed in phonetics (sound production and perception), phonology (how sound differences are used in the language) and grammar, which is divided into morphology (form theory: inflection and word formation) and syntax (structure of phrases, clauses and sentences). Semantics and pragmatics deal with the content of linguistic expressions and their interpretation in different contexts. Discourse studies address the dynamics of conversation and the structure of texts. Other areas of study include the methods of linguistics, the psychology and sociology of language, monolingual and multilingual development in children, language disorders, and second language learning at different ages.

The subject of linguistics has an interdisciplinary character. It is relevant in relation to, for example, special languages, education, literature, psychology, sociology, philosophy and history. Linguistics is combined with computer science and information technology in the field of language technology (computational linguistics), and with neuroscience, medicine and public health in the field of speech therapy.