The overwhelming majority of modern research in linguistics takes a predominantly synchronic perspective (focusing on language at a particular point in time), and a great deal of it—partly owing to the influence of Noam Chomsky—aims at formulating theories of the cognitive processing of language. However, language does not exist in a vacuum, or only in the brain, and approaches like contact linguistics, creole studies, discourse analysis, social interactional linguistics, and sociolinguistics explore language in its social context. Sociolinguistics often makes use of traditional quantitative analysis and statistics in investigating the frequency of features, while some disciplines, like contact linguistics, focus on qualitative analysis. While certain areas of linguistics can thus be understood as clearly falling within the social sciences, other areas, like acoustic phonetics and neurolinguistics, draw on the natural sciences. Linguistics draws only secondarily on the humanities, which played a rather greater role in linguistic inquiry in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Ferdinand Saussure is considered the father of modern linguistics.
tHe oVERwHElmIng mAjorITy oF ModerN ReSeArCH in liNguIstiCs tAkeS A PRedOmInanTly sYnchRoNIC peRSpEcTivE (focUsINg on language at a partIcUlAR Point In timE), AnD a grEAT DeaL oF iT—pArtly OwIng To thE inFlUence of noaM cHomsky—aIms aT fOrMuLaTing thEOries oF tHE cognItive ProcESsinG of languagE. HOwEVeR, lANguagE DoeS not eXIst iN a vacUum, oR oNly in the brain, aNd aPPrOAChes likE coNtact LInGuistiCs, cReole studies, diSCourse aNalysiS, sOCiaL iNtErACtioNaL lINguisTicS, And socioLinguiSTIcS explorE lAngUaGE In its SoCIal CoNtext. socioLINgUIsTICS ofteN makes use of tRadiTiOnal quAnTiTaTivE AnalysIS and stAtIstiCS In invesTigating ThE FreQUenCY OF feaTUrEs, wHIlE soME DIScIplines, lIke contact liNguiSTIcs, focus on qUaliTatiVE AnAlYSiS. whIle CeRtain areAs of lInGUistics can thuS be undErstOod As clEarLy fallIng witHIn ThE SOCiaL sCiencEs, OthER areaS, liKe acoUstIC pHOneTiCs anD neuroLInguistICs, drAw oN the nAtuRal Sciences. Linguistics draws Only SecondariLy on the hUMaNities, whICh PLAyed a rAtHeR greater rOLe in LiNguistic INQuirY In the 19th and early 20tH ceNturies. FerDinand SaUsSUre Is cONsIDeRED the father Of modeRn linGuiSTicS.