Categories of linguistic analysis

phonetics/ phonology distinction:

• phonetics studies the articulation and acoustic phenomena which makes speech possible
• phonology investigates the sound systems of particular languages in order to understand basic principles applicable to all languages
• note that phones are the concrete and individual manifestations of sounds
• phonemes are meaning carrying sound units that are part of particular paroles

morphology/ syntax distinction (grammar)

• morphology studies the internal structure of the forms of words
• syntax is the study of sentence structure

lexicology

• is the study of lexis or vocabulary
• has not received much attention in English until recently (OED; computerized vocab lists)
• note history of Spanish, German and French linguistics, particularly in terms of political usage. Note lack of central academy in English (at least until recently); effects on the spelling systems in these languages; is there a link economically/ politically?

 sematics

• sematics is the study of meaning
• ie. the relationship between words and sentences with states, process and objects (Bierwisch)
• distinct field only in the last 100 years
• many linguists have refused to recognize semantics as a part of linguistics because they believed it was not a proper field of scientific study (i.e. meaning is too complex and dependent on context)
• however, many recent curriculum innovations (e.g. functional/ notional) make substantial use of semantics (linking subject/ meaning with grammar/ form). note notions are related to time, space, quantity etc.; functions are thins like requesting, greeting, informing, etc.

 discourse

- recently, linguistics has been very concerned with discourse, how units of language beyond sentence structure can be analyzed (discourse analysis), act on reality (speech act theory) or structure communication.

 directions in linguistics

• linguists has moved in two directions simultaneously.
• on the one hand, it has become a set of detailed studies in different specializations.
• on the other hand, it has attempted to study language as a whole, related to others and related to a set of underlying principles.