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How do phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics examine different parts of language?
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Linguistics
Much of the foundation of 20th-century sociolinguistics was created by the Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure (1857–1913).
In linguistics, these fields examine language by focusing on distinct levels of structure and meaning:
- Phonetics studies the physical properties of speech, including the anatomy and physiology of sound production (articulatory phonetics) and the acoustic characteristics of sound waves (acoustic phonetics).12
- Phonology investigates the sound systems of specific languages, focusing on how sounds are organized into distinctive classes that carry meaning and how they are grouped into syllables and intonation patterns.1
- Morphology examines the internal construction of words, analyzing how morphemes combine through processes like inflection and derivation to create meaning.3
- Syntax focuses on the arrangement of words, phrases, and clauses to form sentences, investigating the rules that govern how these components relate to one another.4
- Semantics is the study of the rule systems that determine the literal or conventional meanings of words and sentences.5
- Pragmatics examines how language is used in context to communicate intentions, attitudes, and meanings that go beyond literal definitions, often involving the performance of speech acts.5