What is linguistics and why study it?

Have you ever wondered why we say "feet" rather than "foots"? Or what we do with our
mouths to make a b sound different from a p? Or why we rarely say what we actually
mean? It's questions like these that intrigue the linguist!

Many people think that a linguist is someone who speaks many languages and works as
a language teacher or as an interpreter at the United Nations. In fact, these people are
more accurately called "Polyglots". While many linguists are polyglots, the focus of
linguistics is about the structure, use and psychology of language in general.

Linguistics is concerned with the nature of language and communication. It deals both
with the study of particular languages, and the search for general properties common to
all languages or large groups of languages. It includes the following subareas :

phonetics (the study of the production, acoustics and hearing of speech sounds)
phonology (the patterning of sounds)
morphology (the structure of words)
syntax (the structure of sentences)
semantics (meaning)
pragmatics (language in context)

It also includes explorations into the nature of language variation (i. e., dialects),
language change over time, how language is processed and stored in the brain, and how
it is acquired by young children. All of these topics are examined in the coursework
offered by the University of Arizona's Department of Linguistics.

Although linguistics is still largely unfamiliar to the educated public, it is a growing and
exciting field, with an increasingly important impact on other fields as diverse as
psychology, philosophy, education, language teaching, sociology, anthropology,
computer science, and artificial intelligence.

https://linguistics.arizona.edu/content/what-linguistics-and-why-study-it-0
The Importance of Linguistics to a Language Teacher
by Elise Wile
Philosopher Franz Fanon once wrote that to speak a language is
to take on a world, a culture. Likely, Fanon was referring to the
fact that language learning encompasses so much more than mere
memorization and pronunciation. As a language instructor, your
teaching will be much more meaningful to your students if you
know the ins and outs of the different branches of linguistics.

Applied Linguistics

The very fact you are a language teacher at all signifies that you
are using applied linguistics. This branch of linguistics is the
practical side of language. As its name suggests, it applies
knowledge about language to real-world issues. While it can encompass language teaching overall, it also encourages teachers
to ask questions such as "How can I best connect this language lesson with my students' everyday needs?" and "What are some
of the social issues my students face that could affect their learning?"

Contrastive Linguistics

Contrastive linguistics involves the comparison of different languages. The Centre for Language, Linguistics and Area Studies
recommends that teachers of foreign languages study contrastive linguistics. This is because up to 30 percent of student errors
are due to interference between a student's mother tongue and the second language. For example, a Spanish-speaking student
might say, "I no remember." As a language teacher, if you are familiar with the grammatical structure of Spanish, you will
understand why the student made this mistake and can work toward correcting the error.

Sociolinguistics

A knowledge of sociolinguistics can help you teach your students the subtle nuances of language that will help them achieve
native-speaker proficiency. This branch of linguistics examines the social traits of language, such as humor, slang and dialect.
Use sociolinguistics to teach students the social appropriateness of different phrases. For example, teaching them to say, "Will
you please close the door" instead of "Shut the door" can help to prevent offense and awkwardness.

Diachronic Linguistics

Dischronic linguistics is the study of a language over a period of time. While this might not be as critical to teaching as the
types of linguistics mentioned above, a diachronic approach to language nevertheless assists you in helping student understand
language in an historical context. For example, if your students read English from historical sources, you can use your
knowledge of the progression of the language to explain the evolution of specific words, or why certain words are no longer
used in everyday speech or writing.

http://work.chron.com/importance-linguistics-language-teacher-14459.html
Career Opportunities
Work in the computer industry: Training in linguistics can equip you to work on speech recognition, text-to-
speech synthesis, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and computer-mediated language
learning.
Work in education: People with a background in linguistics and education can develop materials for different
populations, train teachers, design assessments, find effective ways to teach language related topics in
specific communities, or use the language of a community effectively in instruction. Many applied linguists are
involved in teacher education and educational research.
Teach English as a Second Language (ESL) in the United States or abroad: If you want to teach ESL in the US,
you will probably need additional training in language pedagogy, such as credentials in Teaching English as a
Second or Other Language (TESOL). Many teaching positions abroad require only an undergraduate degree,
but at least some specialized training in the subject will make you a much more effective teacher. Linguistics
can give you a valuable cross-language perspective.
Teach at the university level: If you go on to get a graduate degree in linguistics you might teach in
departments such as Linguistics, Philosophy, Psychology, Speech/Communication Sciences, Anthropology,
English, and departments focused on specific foreign languages.
Work as a translator or interpreter: Skilled translators and interpreters are needed everywhere, from government
to hospitals to courts of law. For this line of work, a high level of proficiency in the relevant language(s) is
necessary, and additional specialized training may be required.
Teach a foreign language: Your students will benefit from your knowledge of language structure and your
ability to make certain aspects of the language especially clear. You will need to be very proficient in the
relevant language, and you may need additional training in language pedagogy.
Work on language documentation or conduct fieldwork: Some agencies and institutes seek linguists to work
with language consultants in 4 order to document, analyze, and preserve languages (many of which are
endangered). Some organizations engage in language-related fieldwork, conducting language surveys,
establishing literacy programs, and translating documents of cultural heritage.
Work in the publishing industry, as a technical writer, or as a journalist: The verbal skills that linguists develop are
ideal for positions in editing, publishing, and writing.
Work for a testing agency: Linguists help prepare and evaluate standardized exams and conduct research on
assessment issues.
Work with dictionaries (lexicography): The development of good dictionaries requires the help of qualified
linguistic consultants. Knowledge of phonology, morphology, historical linguistics, dialectology, and
sociolinguistics is key to becoming a lexicographer.
Become a consultant on language in professions such as law or medicine: The subfield of forensic linguistics
involves studying the language of legal texts, linguistic aspects of evidence, issues of voice identification, and
so on. Law enforcement agencies such as the FBI and police departments, law firms, and the courts hire
linguists for these purposes.
Work for an advertising company: Companies that specialize in advertising often do extensive linguistic
research on the associations that people make with particular sounds and classes of sounds and the kind of
wording that would appeal to potential consumers.
Work for the government: The federal government hires linguists for the Foreign Service, the Federal Bureau of
Intelligence (FBI), the National Security Agency (NSA), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Department
of Defense, the Department of Education, and so on. Similar opportunities may exist at the state level.
Become an actor or train actors: Actors need training in pronunciation, intonation, and different elements of
grammar in order to sound like real speakers of a language or dialect. They may even need to know how to
make mistakes to sound like an authentic non-native speaker. Are you still curious about linguistics but not
ready to become a linguistics major? Enroll in an introductory-level linguistics course, consider a minor, or take a
look at introductory textbooks or course materials. Introductory and advanced linguistics courses often satisfy
distribution requirements for other majors. Talk to a linguist! Faculty members in Linguistics departments are
usually quite happy to talk with prospective students and answer questions about the major and the field.