{"id":5077,"date":"2017-04-05T10:07:04","date_gmt":"2017-04-05T10:07:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/?p=5077"},"modified":"2021-08-18T15:22:48","modified_gmt":"2021-08-18T15:22:48","slug":"linguistics-earth-might-want-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/students\/linguistics-earth-might-want-study\/","title":{"rendered":"Linguistics – what on earth is it and why might you want to study it?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whenever I get asked what I study at university, I brace myself for the inevitable question: “Oh nice\u2026 but what actually is<\/em> linguistics?” People assume you learn lots of different languages or perfect your grammar\u2026 Nope. I didn’t really know what it was either, until I dove headfirst into First Year and discovered the best subject you ever did see. So here’s a quick breakdown of what it is and why it’s so interesting.<\/p>\n

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In a nutshell, linguistics is the science, meaning, history, function and social implications of all <\/em>language. Ever wondered how babies learn to speak without someone explicitly teaching them? Is it language that makes humans so different to animals, and if so, are we designed <\/em>to use it? Why do we sometimes accidentally say ‘parcark’ instead of ‘carpark’? How do people like Donald Trump and J.K. Rowling use words to their advantage? These are all questions that are debated in the field of linguistics, which is by and large split into two big areas.<\/p>\n

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The first is functional linguistics, which is the breakdown of grammar and language itself. It lets you explore how languages compare and can be so similar even if they sound completely different! By visualising the structure of how we communicate with each other, we can understand the roots of interaction – a hugely important skill employers across an ever-globalising world look for. By getting to grips with language, we learn how we can eliminate ambiguity and help ourselves and others to say what we want in the clearest, most interesting way possible.<\/p>\n

Sociolinguistics deals with the cultural, political, psychological and historical contexts that language occurs in. Basically the study of how language can be relative. When I say ‘Brrr it’s cold in here’ – am I just stating something I feel? Or am I really hinting at you to shut the window? Who can tell? Linguistics!<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t worry – most people won\u2019t have done anything to do with linguistics before coming to university, so that should not be a reason not to go for it! Another common misconception is that you have to be multilingual to study linguistics. Not at all! (Although having studied at least one other language might help you a bit in terms of acknowledging how languages can be different.) The first few months will be learning the foundations of it all. Understanding the ways in which theories are expressed, learning about sounds and basic structures\u2026 My first lecturer had all 350+ First Years say \u201cLALALALALA\u201d<\/em> as loud as they could to try and feel where the sounds were coming from! Needless to say, the lecture hall sounded like some strange religious gathering\u2026<\/p>\n

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After that, it\u2019s down to you to choose the modules you\u2019re interested in. Because linguistics is so broad, there\u2019s bound to be something that tickles your fancy, whether you want to go for something more scientific or something people-focused. Ultimately, a lot of your work will be based on ongoing research because linguistics is a fast-moving field. As you progress through university, you\u2019ll learn how to design your own experiments and carry them out, adding to the field yourself! Always exciting.<\/p>\n

And what\u2019s in it for you at the end? You\u2019ll have a deep understanding of language as a whole – something we (and every single other person on this planet) use every single day. Language is the ultimate common ground, and employers understand this. You\u2019ll also have excellent analytical, research, essay-writing and argument-making skills that will help you no matter what direction you\u2019re headed in. Sold yet? Thought so. Okay, 3 – 2 – 1 – LALALALALALALA…<\/em><\/p>\n

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Maia H. is a Linguistics and Japanese undergraduate<\/a> (almost graduate!) at the University of Edinburgh. She loves writing, tutoring German<\/a> and travelling, which is a bit of a cliche but that’s ok because it’s true.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Whenever I get asked what I study at university, I brace myself for the inevitable question: “Oh nice\u2026 but what actually is linguistics?” People assume you learn lots of different languages or perfect your grammar\u2026 Nope. I didn’t really know…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5078,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[789],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nLinguistics - why might you want to study it? - MyTutor Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Linguistics is the science, meaning, history, function and social implications of all language. 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