what is linguistics ?

Linguistics derived from the latin lingua  meaning language, the French language langage-langue, Italian lingua, Spanish lengue, and English language. While the suffix “ics” in linguistics serves to indicate the name of a science.

Many linguistics expert define, among other:

·         Jurji Zaidan

Linguistics as a science that investigates the language of the written and nonwritten.

·         Saiful Mu’min, Imam

Linguistics as a scince that discusses that language of the various sides.

·         King. T. Nasr (1984)

Linguistics deals with human language as universal and recognizable part of human behavior nd human capabilities.

·         BLOOMFIELD (1933:20-34)

Linguisticsis a science (science), as well as physics and chemistry is a science.

·         MATTHEWS

Linguistics is defined or the scientific, study of language.

            The New Oxford Dictionary of English (2003)¸ linguistics is “the scientific study of language and its structure, including the study of grammer, syntax, and phonetics. Specific branches of linguistics include sociolinguistics, dialectology, psycholinguistics, computational linguistics, comparative linguistics, and strucrtural linguistics”.

            Linguistics is usually defined as ‘the scienific study of language’ Such a statement, however, raises two further questions: what do we mean by ‘scientific’ ? and what do you mean by ‘language’ ? The first one  can be answered relatively easily but the second needs to be examined more fully. When we say that a linguist aims to be scientific, we mean that the attempts to study language in much the same way as far as possible whitout prejudice. It means observing language use, forming hypotheses about it, testing these hypotheses and then refining them on the basis of the evidence collected. To get  simplified idea of what is meant, consider the following axample. With regard to English, we might make a hypothesis that adjectives always precede nouns. In support of this hypothesis, we could procedu the folloeing acceptable uses:

a good man
a ded tree

But againts our hypothesis, we would find the following aceptable sentences:

The man is good
The tree is dead

Where our adjectives do not precede the nouns modify. In additin, acareful study of the language would produce further samples such as:

 Life everlasting
Mission impossible

Where, once again, the position of the adjective contradicts our original hypothesis. When we have carried out  detailed examination of adjectives in English, we are in a position to say that adjectives in English are used in two main ways: (a) they can be used attributively, that is before a noun, as in. (b) they can be used predicatively, that is following a verb, as in:

The man is good.

Such rules would cover the uses of most djectives in English. It would be necessary, however, to add a furher rule. In English a finite number of adjectives, borrowed from other languages or used in fixed phrases, follow the nouns they modify. Such a finite list would include:

Astronomer royal
Attorney general
Court martial
Heir apparent
Prince imperial
Princess loyal

            Of the various definations of the experts above, it can be concluded that the linguistics is basic for the scientific study of human language from various aspecst, including sounds, words and grammer rules, or can be defined as the language as an object of study. What is language ?

            Language is a tool to convey information, ideas, concepts or feeling that comes to the heart, in the sense of the words as a means of conveying somehing. There are various definition of language according to the experts, including:

·        Plato

Language is essentially a statement of one’s mind by means onomata (name objects or something) and rhemata (pseech), which is a reflection of idea of someone in the flow of air through the mouth.

·        Harimurti Kridalaksana, 1993:21

Language is a symbol system sounds an arbitary language that allows people to work together, interact, and identify.

·        William A.Haviland

Language is a system of sounds that when combined according to certain rules pose meanings can be captured by all the people who speak the language.

·        Wittgenstein

Language is a form of thinking that can be understood, in touch with reality and has the form and structure of logical.

·        According Wibowo (2001:3)

Language is a system of symbols that are meaningful and articulate sound (generated by said tool) that are arbitrary and conventional, which is used as a mean  of communication by a group of men go give birth to feelings and thoughts.

In the study of linguistcs, language is defined as a system of spoken or written symbols that human beings s a means of communication in the form of sounds. Function of lnguage, the main function of language is as a communication tool, or a means to convey information, thoughts. Language also serves to:

1.      Interaction in daily life

2.      Aesthetically satisfying their people through beautiful words

3.      The tool expands other knowledge

            There are a number of other general points that are worth making about language, First, human language is not only a vocal system of communication. It can be expressed in writing, with the result that it is not limited in time or space. Secondly, each language is both arbitrary and systematic. By this we mean that no two languages behave in exactly the same way yet each language has its own set f rules. Again, a number of examples  will clarify this point. The word for ‘water’ is ‘can’ in French ‘uisce’ in Gaelic. There is no intrinsic relationship between any of three words and the chemical componend H₂O which we know as water. The choice of word is arbitrary, that is nonpredictable, but speakers of French and Gaelic regularly and habitually use the word from their language to refer to H₂O. The same is true with regard to sentences.

            The diagram indicates that, although speech and writing are in theory distinct, they can and do influence each other. A simple example of this is that pronunciation is often affected by spelling. A word like ‘often’for example, is now frequently pronounced with a ‘t’ because of nfluence from the written medium.

            As far as speech is concerned, the process involves associating sounds with meaning and meaning with sounds. With writing, on the other hand, language competence involves the associoation of a meaning (and sometimes sounds) with a sign, a visual symbol. Thus, our study of language will involve us in an appraisal of all of the following levels language:

         •language

•phonology

•morphology

•lexis

•syntax

•semantics

       

                        When we have examined these levels and the way they interact, we will have acruired the necassary tools to study languages in general (linguistics), the variety in language and the uses to which people  put language (sociolinguistics) and the value of the study of language in understanding the human mind (psycholinguistics)