Modern linguistics approaches
these questions by apply the methods of scientific inquiry. That is,
linguistics construct explicit hypotheses and attempt to verify them.
In some cases, these hypotheses can be tested by experimental methods,
as for example in the synthesis, perception, and processing of speech.
In other cases, these hypotheses are tested by a detailed examination
of the structure of history of particular languages; these areas are
largely theoretical, are concerned with predicting what types of structure
can, and cannot occur in human languages.
Linguistics has traditionally
been characterized by the study of the structure of language and the
study of language change. The structure of language is dealt with in
the fields of Phonetics (the study of acoustic articulatory properties
of speech); Phonology (the study of the sound structure of language);
Morphology (the study of word formation); Syntax (the study of how words
are organized into larger units, such as sentences); and Semantics (the
study of meaning systems). Linguistic theory posits that language is
a system governed by certain principles that relate sound and meaning;
linguistics seeks to discover and formulate these principles. Historical
linguistics deals with the reasons and ways in which languages change
over time. The study of language change can therefore also shed light
on the question of how language is structured.
Recently, the field of linguistics
has broadened to include the study of the relationship between language
and behavior (Psycholinguistics, Language Acquisition); language and
brain (Neurolinguistics); computational models of language use (Computational
Linguistics); and the interaction of language and society (Sociolinguistics).
Current research areas of interest include the neurological and perceptual
bases for language, the physiological foundations for speech, the effects
of pathology on speech and languages, the effects of development on
speech and language, developing models of linguistic structure, the
evolution of language, and the role played by language in such social
problems as status in society, group identification, and cultural assimilation.
The Cognitive and Linguistics
Sciences Department offers a range of courses and research opportunities
both in the traditional "core" areas of linguistics (Phonetics,
Phonology, Syntax, Semantics), and in areas
representing a more interdisciplinary approach to language. Concentrators
in linguistics may explore the field from a variety of perspectives
and may study a number of different areas, which contribute to an understanding
of the nature of languages and its place within human behavior.
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