1. Introduction to Linguistics Ms. Suha Jawabreh Lecture # 2

2. What is Linguistics? -Linguistics is the scientific study of language. - This statement raises two questions: 1. What do we mean by scientific? 2. What do mean by language?

3. - Linguistics is a science ; therefore, a linguist is a scientist. - A linguist studies language in much the same way as a scientist studies physics or chemistry. - It means that a linguist observes language use, form a hypothesis, test this hypothesis, and refine it. - This hypothesis may eventually become a theory.

4. Example: - A hypothesis: “ Adjectives always precede nouns in English” - Example from English to support this hypothesis: - A good man

5. -Carrying out a detailed examination of the position of adjectives in English we find out that: 1. Adjectives can be attributive. ( They can occur before a noun) 2. Adjectives can be predicative ( They can occur after a noun following a verb) 3. A few adjectives used in fixed phrases immediately follow the noun they modify.

6. What is Language? - Language is a set of signals by which we communicate. - However, animals have a communication system. -How do human languages differ from animal communication?

7. - Human Languages are: 1. Flexible 2. Complex 3. Precise 4. Productive 5. Can be expressed in writing 6. Arbitrary and systematic at the same time

8. Language and medium -Language is an abstract system that can be realized as : 1. Speech 2. Writing

9. -This diagram illustrates the relationship between language and its mediums: language (abstraction) mediums (concrete ) speech writing

10. The Components of Language 1. Sounds – Phonetics and Phonology 2. Words – Morphology 3. Phrases and sentences- Syntax 4. Meaning- Semantics and Pragmatics