See also historical linguistics, descriptive linguistics
linguistics in American English
(lɪŋˈgwɪstɪks)
noun
1.
the science of language, including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics: sometimes subdivided into descriptive, historical, comparative, theoretical, and geographical linguistics
: often general linguistics
2.
the study of the structure, development, etc. of a particular language and its relationship to other languages
English linguistics
Word origin
< linguistic
Examples of 'linguistics' in a sentence
linguistics
A professor of linguistics is the latter kind of linguist.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Modern linguistics emerged as a distinct field in the nineteenth and early twentieth century.
Salkie, Raphael The Chomsky Update - Linguistics and Politics (1990)
Challenges of this kind usually revolve around the issue of scientific explanation in linguistics.
Salkie, Raphael The Chomsky Update - Linguistics and Politics (1990)
He pretty much invented the study of linguistics.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
And linguistics is not an interest in language for some other purpose.
Salkie, Raphael The Chomsky Update - Linguistics and Politics (1990)
We weren't learning to be professors of linguistics.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
This is still not linguistics: using language is not the same as studying it.
Salkie, Raphael The Chomsky Update - Linguistics and Politics (1990)
But no linguistics expert has sat us down and told us about either the basics of the subject or many of its astonishing highlights.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
I was all set to do a degree in languages and linguistics.
The Sun (2008)
A professor of linguistics told the court how it appeared in official records from the 10th century and was once a nickname for clergymen.