Lecture 2-Introducing Linguistics

I. Criteria for evaluation of language study:

• Exhaustiveness: all relevant materials &
• Consistency: no contradiction
• Economy: short
• Objectivity

II. Main branches of linguistics

ØPhonetics ØPhonology ØMorphology ØSyntax ØSemantics ØPragmatics

III. Macrolinguistics

ØPsycholinguistics ØSociolinguistics ØAnthropological linguistics ØComputational linguistics

IV. Important distinctions in linguistics

• Descriptive/Prescriptive: facts/rules
• Synchronic/Diachronic: at some point in time/through time

(difficult to draw a sharp line between this two aspects-why?)

• Langue/parole: abstract linguistic system/actualized language (distinctions?)
• Competence/Performance: ideal/actual realization