Note: The first lecture was an introduction of everyone in the class
“Asking a linguist how many languages they know is like asking a doctor how many diseases they have.”
There is a distinction to be made between a polyglot (‘many tongues’ - one who knows many languages) and a linguist (one who studies languages).
Linguistics, like many fields of study is hard to qualify exactly. At large we study the nature of language, and related topics in it. Consider the following sub-topics in linguistics:
These subdivisions are only for our own convenience, in order to traverse the vast field in a more systematic manner. At large, all these fields are inherently connected, to an almost inseparable degree.
Linguistics is not about telling people what is wrong and right in their language, but about studying how they use their language.
Language is the medium for communication, and is essential for the existence of society. Humans are social beings, and as Noam Chomsky argues:
“When we study human language we are approaching what some might call the ‘human essence’.”
Humans seem to have some sort of intrinsic understanding of language, without necessarily being able to articulate it into strict rules.
Sounds are not random within a language, certain things do not seem to fit into a language:
“guzzle” with no vowel between the ‘z’ sound and the ‘l’ sound is perfectly natural in the English language, but is weird in Hindi. Similarly, “ghazal” may feel weird in English due to the ‘gh’ sound not being a common feature of the language.