Linguistics is the scientific study of
language. Linguistics is language studied scientifically. It was only in the
late 50s that introduction to linguistics really began to increase and
multiply. One principle states that it is important to study such aspects of
human behavior, because when things start to go wrong, we would otherwise have
no knowledge of how to effect a cure. The other principle states that there are
always a number of practical applications arising from such studies – other
areas of experience which our analyses can help illuminate.. the question ‘Why bother to study
Language?’ The ultimate answer is that it is a question of personal
taste and no amount of reasoning about applications can get round this. Some
people find language a fascinating aspect of human behavior and they take a
great delight in prodding it from various points of view. The pure interest in
language which exists in many people’s minds is far outweighed by the interest
of those concerned with the applied side of language study. Most of us begin to
notice language and to worry about it and to ask questions about it, when it
starts to break down, to cause problems. The structure of language is in many
ways as complicated and difficult to study as the structure of the human body –
and in some ways more so, because it involves some extremely abstract
reasoning. Language pathology is perhaps a rather specialist justification for
language study. Problems of speech disability are relatively few and far
between and do not affect many of us. There are, however, a number of other,
more everyday areas of experience where some knowledge of language’s structure
and use can be invaluable to avoid linguistic breakdown. We may introduce them
by considering the more general and much more familiar concept of
communication. These days the term communication has something of a vogue
status. We are continually being urged to pay attention to it, in all walks of
life.
We can communicate by gestures, facial
expressions, or touch, for instance. But despite the considerable difference
between the concepts of communication and language, it is generally agreed that
the main purpose of language is to communicate; hence much of the discussion over
the last few years about the importance of studying ways and means of improving
communication techniques is relevant to the study of language. Problems of
communication affect us all in many aspects of day-to-day living and can cause
serious trouble. It is incredibly easy to be unintentionally misunderstood, or
to speak ambiguously or vaguely.
There are however a number of other
fields where the application of linguistic methods and data has been producing
helpful results for many years. The most important field to cite is the
teaching f foreign languages. As more and more people travel abroad, both for
business and pleasure, the demand for foreign languages steadily increases. This
is especially so in the field of international trade. The reason for the
unsatisfactory state of much language teachingoften lies in the nature of the
language which is selected to be taught. All too often the language taught is
of a rather restricted kind. It is very often a written kind of language and
not spoken kind.
Linguistic techniques were the only means
of getting the language down on paper – and these are the techniques which are
widely used, in fields as far removed as commercial advertising and bible
translation. Only a minority of the world’s languages have been written down
and studied, there are a number of organizations which spend a great deal of
time finding and describing hitherto unknown languages. But linguistic ideas
have an equally important role to play in the teaching of familiar languages
too namely the removal of misconceptions about these languages nd the development
of a more comprehensive and precise account of them than is available. Language
teaching is probably the most widespread application linguistics has these days
: to some people, indeed language teaching and the phrase ‘Applied Linguistics’
are synonymous. The analysis of any use of language, for what ever reason has
to be based on some general principles and techniques. The greater complexity
of human relationships in a work situation brings with it the need for the new
employee to develop fresh language habits, to begin to speak a new language –
not merely in the sense of learning to use technical terms, but also in the
sense of having to interact linguistically on everyday matters with workmates
or colleagues who may come from very different social backgrounds. The change
from school to employment is for many people a linguistic trauma. A further
aspect of educating people in the use of their own language arises out of the
point just made concerning establishing the nature of linguistic demands. Literary
language is a heightened and more sensitive , use of language but it nonetheless
has to use the same basic range of devices as any other use of language. It could
be argued, if the study of language were placed on a more widespread and
objective footing, and more people knew about its principles and vagaries, less
trouble would develop.
Ultimately more important , it seems is
the need to study language because it is
the key to the understanding of so much of human behavior both of
ourselves and of our interaction with others. Language and thinking are so
closely related that any study of the former is bound to be a contribution to
our understanding of the human mind – a point made with force by Chomsky; and
this understanding is unarguably worth pursuing as an end in itself. It is
perhaps subordinate only to the grand aim of understanding ourselves in
relation to others in society; and here too language is prerequisite.
It is not particularly surprising, then,
in view of the great complexity of language and of its permeating role in
society, that there should have developed an independent field of study to try
to put its analysis on a sound footing. Linguistics is the usual name of this
discipline; its students are called ‘linguists’. Linguistics is still a very
new discipline, and it still arouses controversy, particularly when it comes
into conflict with traditionally held ideas. But much of the controversy is due
to misunderstanding. One way of trying to avoid this is by putting the new in
the context of the old.
Notes
prepared from Books and Internet Sites.
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