Linguistics for beginners: What it is and why you should learn about it

Everyone should learn about language. We use it everyday for virtually everything. It’s an incredibly big part of who we are and where we come from.

I didn’t know that Linguistics really existed, nor what it was, until I was about 16. It was only when I stumbled into the field through a general love of languages and literature that I ended up becoming completely obsessed with it. It was the luckiest stumble I’ve had so far. But the problem with that is that not everyone will come across Linguistics.

So, I’m here to tell you what Linguistics is, what types of Linguistics there can be, why you should study it, how to get into it, and what you can do with Linguistics. I’ve said some of this in my other blogs, but here the information is all in one place. My blog is designed to make Linguistics accessible, understandable, and enjoyable for everyone.

What is Linguistics?

Linguistics is the scientific study of language. Many people think that Linguistics is studying and learning lots of different languages, but that’s not the case. Linguists are often asked how many languages we speak, but actually, linguists don’t have to speak more than one language. Rather, linguistics is the social, psychological, and political study of language.

And there are lots of different branches of Linguistics. We look at how children develop their first languages, and how we learn second or third or fourth languages. We look at how language and identity are connected, and how language interacts with things like gender, race, and class. We look at the structures and sound systems of different languages around the world, and we are able to work out cool patterns and anomalies that exist. The best (but broadest) way to describe Linguistics is simply the study of language, in whatever way appeals to you most.

What types of Linguistics are there?

I always get told that Linguistics sounds like a ‘niche’ discipline. That is very much a myth. Linguistics is probably one of the broadest disciplines out there. And when you think about it, that is not very surprising — because, as I said, we use language everyday for virtually everything. The nice thing about that is, because there are so many Linguistics branches, there is likely to be something that everyone finds interesting. So, here’s a list of some of the branches (but by no means all):

Sociolinguistics: This focuses on the interaction between language and society. That might include things like language, gender and sexuality, or language and ethnicity — basically studying in various ways how language and identity interact. Sociolinguists might look into the power of language in politics or the media, or communication in the workplace. Sociolinguistics is my personal favourite. It’s awesome.

Psycholinguistics: Psycholinguistics focuses on language and the brain. This can range from understanding, diagnosing and treating language disorders, studying the acquisition of language, or studying the human capacity for language. Psycholinguists might focus on how we produce or how we process language.

Computational Linguistics: Another vast and rapidly growing branch of linguistics. Computational linguists study things like automatic translation or natural language processing, or how language is used in AI. To be honest, I’m not the best person to ask about computational linguistics because I don’t really study it. But that’s the basic premise. And it’s a very important field in our increasingly technological world.

Historical Linguistics: Unsurprisingly, this looks at languages over history. It might examine how languages have changed and how one variety of language became lots of different languages. It might try to reconstruct dead languages or proto-languages that preceded ones we know today.

Applied Linguistics: In UK contexts, this tends to refer to a type of Linguistics that focuses on applying the discipline to solve real-world problems. A lot of the above branches of Linguistics would count as applied. Computational Linguistics, for example, if used to develop and improve programmes like Google Translate, would count as applied. In other contexts, like the US, Applied Linguistics is most often used to refer to language teaching. So bear that in mind.

You might tend to study a few things if you pick up Linguistics. Whatever branch you end up doing, it is helpful to have these as a basis for understanding language. Some of the most common parts of language to study are:

Semantics: This is the study of meaning.

Phonology: This is the study of sound systems. For example, you might study the sound system of German in comparison to the sound system of English.

Phonetics: This is the study of how we produce sounds.

Syntax & morphology: This is the study of the way language is structured, in a more grammatical sense.

Pragmatics: This is the study of gesture and non-linguistic/verbal features that aid language and communication. It’s about context.

If you take a Linguistics course or read an introduction to Linguistics, you are likely to find that these areas come up before you start learning about things like Computational Linguistics or Sociolinguistics. It’s kind of like learning the rules of a sport before starting to play.

Why you should get into Linguistics

We can change the world with Linguistics. The field is bursting with potential. Linguists are needed in various disciplines and jobs, because language is powerful. Whether that’s instating inclusive language policies or advising on interculturally competent communication, Linguistics gives you various transferrable skills and a new way of looking at the world.

What you can do with Linguistics

Another common misconception about Linguistics is that it isn’t very important and might not be a helpful qualification or knowledge base for getting a job. Neither of these perceptions could be further from the truth.

If you study Linguistics, you will gain remarkable communication skills. And although anyone can say they have communication skills, linguists can explain what we mean by that. We learn about miscommunication across cultures or in workplaces, and how this can be best dealt with. We learn about how language and power and interconnected, and how to read meaning in other people’s language right from basic word choice down to the way in which people produce certain sounds. Our communication skills are very tangible.

You will also likely gain experience in research, if you study Linguistics. You will develop the ability to think critically and laterally, because analysis is a major part of studying language. You will develop patience and the ability to pay attention to minute details, because we know that it’s often the minute details of communication that are the most important. You develop cross-cultural awareness because studying language comes with studying culture. You gain experience in a range of fields because Linguistics is inherently interdisciplinary, including Psychology to Politics to Computer Science.

What that means is that Linguistics is a fantastic stepping stone for a load of jobs, and it’s a degree that stands out from the crowd. Linguistics majors might go into research, public relations, journalism, politics, AI, writing, or various other fields.

And also, it’s important to note that, if you want to study Linguistics, you don’t have to study a degree in it. You can just read around the topic or take online courses — and I’d really advocate for that too, if you don’t have the time or money to do more. Linguistics is worth studying for the sake of studying it. Learning about language is helpful whether you get a qualification in it or not.

How to get into Linguistics

So where do you start? Well, if you just want to get a feel for the field to see if you would want to study it further, or just because you want to know a bit more, then you can take a look at some Linguistics courses that are offered online. You can also read various books that introduce Linguistics — here’s a list of a few good books I made last year: https://our.warwick.ac.uk/summer-reading-recommendations-linguistics-themed/ .

If you want cheaper options than buying books, then there are plenty of blogs, podcasts, and websites out there to have a look at. For a start, you could look at ‘Language: A feminist guide’ by Deborah Cameron, ‘Language on the Move’ by Ingrid Piller, or listen to the Word of Mouth podcast. And you could subscribe to my blog.

If you are already studying another discipline, then try to incorporate a linguistic lens into your own. You can do that by taking language courses or just thinking more about the way you use language in your own discipline and what impact that has.

The way I got myself properly into Linguistics was through recording (with consent) my friends’ conversations, transcribing them, then looking for things I found cool, whether that was how my friends changed as they spoke to different people, or thinking about whether and why they pronounced words differently from one another. I also taught myself to draw syntax trees (Google them), and so I spent lots of time practising that, normally when I should have been doing other things. And I talked to my teachers about it, who gave me excellent resources and encouragement.

If you happen to be reading my blog and would like to learn more about Linguistics, resources, or how to get into it, then please get in touch. I’m always happy for an excuse to talk about language, and I’m determined to make the discipline more accessible for all.