Editing Theoretical linguistics

{{Short description|Branch of linguistics which inquires into the nature of language}}
{{linguistics}}
'''Theoretical linguistics''' is a term in [[linguistics]] that,<ref name="Ivić_etal_2020">{{cite book| last1=Hamp| first1=Eric P.| url=https://www.britannica.com/science/linguistics |title=Linguistics| last2=Ivić| first2=Pavle| last3=Lyons| first3=John| publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, inc.|year=2020|isbn=9783110289770|access-date=2020-08-03}}</ref> like the related term '''general linguistics''',<ref name="Graffi_20092">{{cite book|last=Graffi|first=Giorgio|title=Concise Encyclopedia of Philosophy of Language and Linguistics|publisher=Elsevier|year=2009|isbn=9780080965017|pages=780–794|chapter=20th century linguistics: overview of trends}}</ref> can be understood in different ways. Both can be taken as a reference to the [[theory of language]], or the branch of [[linguistics]] that inquires into the [[Philosophy of language#Nature of language|nature of language]] and seeks to answer fundamental questions as to what language is, or what the common ground of all languages is.<ref name="Graffi_20092" /> The goal of theoretical linguistics can also be the construction of a general theoretical framework for the description of language.<ref name="Ivić_etal_2020" />

Another use of the term depends on the organisation of linguistics into different sub-fields. The term 'theoretical linguistics' is commonly juxtaposed with [[applied linguistics]].<ref name="Harris_2001">{{cite journal|last=Harris|first=Tony|date=2001|title=Linguistics in applied linguistics: a historical overview|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/28064313|journal=Journal of English Studies|volume=3|issue=2|pages=99–114|doi=10.18172/jes.72|access-date=2020-08-03|doi-access=free}}</ref> This perspective implies that the aspiring language professional, e.g. a student, must first learn the ''theory'' i.e. properties of the linguistic system, or what [[Ferdinand de Saussure]] called ''internal linguistics''.<ref name="Saussure_1959">{{cite book|last=de Saussure|first=Ferdinand|url=https://monoskop.org/images/0/0b/Saussure_Ferdinand_de_Course_in_General_Linguistics_1959.pdf|title=Course in General Linguistics|date=1959|publisher=Philosophy Library|isbn=9780231157278|place=New York|author-link=Ferdinand de Saussure|orig-year=First published 1916|access-date=2020-08-03|archive-date=2019-08-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808231716/https://monoskop.org/images/0/0b/Saussure_Ferdinand_de_Course_in_General_Linguistics_1959.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> This is followed by ''practice,'' or studies in the applied field. The dichotomy is not fully unproblematic because [[language pedagogy]], [[language technology]] and other aspects of applied linguistics also include theory.<ref name="Harris_2001" />

Similarly, the term general linguistics is used to distinguish core [[linguistics]] from other types of study. However, because college and university linguistics is largely distributed with the institutes and departments of a relatively small number of [[national language]]s, some larger universities also offer courses and research programmes in 'general linguistics' which may cover exotic and [[minority language]]s, [[Linguistic typology|cross-linguistic studies]] and various other topics outside the scope of the main [[Philology|philological]] departments.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-of-arts/research/disciplines/languages/general-linguistics |title=General linguistics |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2020 |publisher=University of Helsinki |access-date=2020-08-03 }}</ref>

==Fields of linguistics proper==
When the concept of theoretical linguistics is taken to refer to ''core'' or ''internal linguistics'', it means the study of the parts of the language system. This traditionally means [[phonology]], [[Morphology (linguistics)|morphology]], [[syntax]] and [[semantics]]. [[Pragmatics]] and [[Discourse analysis|discourse]] can also be included; delimitation varies between institutions. Furthermore, Saussure's definition of general linguistics consists of the dichotomy of [[Synchrony and diachrony|synchronic and diachronic linguistics]], thus including [[historical linguistics]] as a core issue.<ref name="Saussure_1959" />

==Linguistic theories==
{{See also|Theory of language||}}There are various frameworks of linguistic theory which include a general theory of language and a general theory of [[linguistic description]].<ref name="ScienceDirect">[https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/computer-science/linguistic-theory Linguistic Theory] ScienceDirect. Retrieved 19 May 2023.</ref> Current humanistic approaches include theories within [[structural linguistics]] and [[functional linguistics]]. In addition to the humanistic approaches of structural linguistics and functional linguistics, the field of theoretical linguistics encompasses other frameworks and perspectives. [[Evolutionary linguistics]] is one such framework that investigates the origins and development of language from an evolutionary and cognitive perspective. It incorporates various models within [[generative grammar]], which seeks to explain language structure through formal rules and transformations. [[Cognitive linguistics]] and [[cognitive approaches to grammar]], on the other hand, focuses on the relationship between language and cognition, exploring how language reflects and influences our thought processes.<ref name="ScienceDirect"/>

== See also ==
* [[Theoretical Linguistics (journal)|''Theoretical Linguistics'']] – journal
* ''[[Course in General Linguistics]]''

== References ==

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