Name : Anita Rahman

Class : V E
Assignment: Introduction Linguistic

Questions
Test yourself on what you have read in chapter 1 by answering the following
question.
1. How would you define linguistics?
Linguistics is the scientific study of language. Language is central to our
human nature and linguistics is the systematics study of human language.
2. Point out three ways in which linguistics differs from traditional school
grammar?
- Linguistics is descriptive and school grammar is prescriptive. It means
that linguistics just describes how the language works and school
grammar always tells this is correct and that isnt correct.
- School grammar is chiefly taught in Primary School or High School but
linguistics is a subject taught in Universities
- Linguistics is a science that studies all aspects of language not just
grammar, for example it studies the sounds (phonetics ), semantics
( meaning ), sociolinguistics ( society and language ), but school grammar
focuses entirely on grammar.
3. What is the difference between a prescriptive and a descriptive approach to
language?
- Prescriptive : A set of rules and examples dealing with syntax and word
structures of a language, Prescriptive refers to the structure of a language
-

as certain people think it should be used.

Descriptive : The systematic study and description of a language.

Descriptive refers to the structure of a language as it is actually used by
speakers and writers.
4. Why do linguists regard speech rather than writing as primary?
Linguists studies about the human language which includes learning the
Phonetics ( human speech sounds ). As a linguists is concerned the
physical sounds, the raw material out of which language is made.
- A linguists studies the position of the tongue, teeth and vocal cords during
the production of sounds and record and analyze the sound waves. Also a
linguists is more interested in the way in which language is patterned.
5. Briefly explain the terms phonology, syntax, and semantics?
- Phonology , The study of speech sounds; Phonology identifies the sound
units of a language and describes aspects of their combination
- Syntax, The study of how words are combined; Syntax describes the
combination of words to form sentences.

Semantics, The study of meaning . These levels of language constitute a

system for associating structures with meaning, and the study of meaning
in language belongs to the domain of semantics.
6. Distinguish between synchronic and diachronic linguistics?
- Synchronic linguistics is the study of the linguistics elements and usage of
a language at a particular moment. Synchronic analysis as a single frame
in a roll of film.
- Diachronic linguistics is a historical linguistics. It is the study of the
changes in language overtime. Diachronic analysis can be the general
evolution of all languages or the evolution of a particular language or
dialect.