Linguistics is the scientific study of language. It
involves analyzing language form, language meaning, and language in context.
Linguists traditionally analyze human language by observing an interplay
between sound and meaning. Linguistics also deals with the social, cultural,
historical and political factors that influence language, through which
linguistic and language-based context is often determined. Research on language
through the sub-branches of historical and evolutionary linguistics also
focuses on how languages change and grow, particularly over an extended period
of time.
The discipline of linguistics
focuses on theories of language structure, variation and use, the description
and documentation of contemporary languages, and the implications of theories
of language for an understanding of the mind and brain, human culture, social
behavior, and language learning and teaching.
