Phonetics – study of the physical properties of speech (or signed) production and perception Phonology – study of sounds (or signs) as discrete, abstract elements in the speaker's mind that distinguish meaning Morphology – study of internal structures of words and how they can be modified Syntax – study of how words combine to form grammatical sentences Semantics – study of the meaning of words (lexical semantics) and fixed word combinations (phraseology), and how these compose to form the meanings of sentences Pragmatics – study of how utterances are used in communicative acts – and the role played by context and nonlinguistic knowledge in the transmission of meaning Discourse analysis – analysis of language use in texts (spoken, written, or signed) Linguistic typology – comparative study of the similarities and differences between language structures in the world's languages.
Phonetics – study of the physical properties of speech (or signed) production and perception Phonology – study of sounds (or signs) as discrete, abstract elements in the speaker's mind that distinguish meaning Morphology – study of internal structures of words and how they can be modified Syntax – study of how words combine to form grammatical sentences Semantics – study of the meaning of words (lexical semantics) and fixed word combinations (phraseology), and how these compose to form the meanings of sentences Pragmatics – study of how utterances are used in communicative acts – and the role played by context and nonlinguistic knowledge in the transmission of meaning Discourse analysis – analysis of language use in texts (spoken written, or signed) Linguistic typology – comparative study of the similarities and differences between language structures in the world's languages.