Linguistics
/lɪŋˈɡwɪstɪks/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe scientific study of language and how it works.
Extra definitions
nounThe analysis of language structure and use.
nounThe academic field covering speech and grammar.
nounThe systematic and scholarly study of language.
Sentence Examples
She studied linguistics at university.
Linguistics examines how languages change.
Modern linguistics uses language databases.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
None
Antonyms:
None
Word Origin & History
From linguist + -ics, akin to linguistic and Latin linguisticus, coined by English philosopher and historian of science William Whewell in 1847 from German Linguistik.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
“By the end of the century, the APS’s membership included the leaders of the American anthropological establishment, whose primary investigative interests were the ethnography, linguistics, archeology, and physical anthropology of the American Indian, within a theoretical structure that was essentially historical.”
— 1997, Jacob W. Gruber, “American Philosophical Society”, in History of Physical Anthropology, page 64:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
She studied ____ at university.