Linguistics英师123 胡聪12号Abstract: Linguistics studies not only particular language about English and Chinese, Arabic, Latin, but also it studies languages in general. It is a scientific study because it is based on the systematics investigation of linguistic data, conducted with reference to some general theory of language structure. Linguistics content of so many parts , and have an important influence to English study. Linguistics is the scientific study of language , language is system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication.Key words: Linguistics, language, contents, influence.1.Introduction.Linguistics is generally defined as the scientific study of language. It tries to answer the basic questions. And it probes into various problems related to language. Linguistics also can have some important distinctions: prescriptive vs descriptive, synchronic vs diachronic, speech and writing, langue and parole, competence and performance, traditional grammar and modern linguistics. When we study linguistics ,we can explore the nature of human languages, and we can get close to the human nature. It is harmless to study linguistics.Linguistics takes an analytical approach to the study of language, and focus on developing skills in data analysis, problem solving, and logical thinking that can be .applied to many fields.2.The scope of linguisticsThe study of language as a whole is often called general linguistics. This deals with the basic concepts, theories, descriptions, models and methods applicable in any linguistic study, in contrast to those branches of study which relate linguistic to research of other areas. Language is a complicated entity with multiple layers and facets, so it is hardly possible for the linguists to deal with it all at once. Theyhave to concentrate on one aspect of it at a time. This has given rise to a number relatively independent branches within the area of linguistics. Linguistics content of phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics and applied linguistics.Phonetics is the scientific study of speech sounds.It studies how speech sounds are articulated, transmitted, and received. It is a pure science and examines speech sounds in general.Phonology is the study of how speech sounds function in a language. It studies the ways speech sounds are organized. And it can be seen functional phonetics of particular language.Morphology is the study of the formation of words. It is a branch of linguistics which breaks words into morphemesSyntax deals with the combination of words into phrases, clauses and sentences. It is the grammar of sentence construction.Semantics is a branch of linguistics which is concerned with the study of meani ng in abstraction.Pragmatics can be defined as the study of language in use. It deals with how spe akers use language in ways which cannot be predicted from linguistic knowledge alone,and how hearers arrive at the intended meaning of speakers.In a broad sense pragmatics studies the principles observed by human beings when they communi cate with one another.Sociolinguistics is the studies of all these social aspects of language and its relation with society from the core of the branch.Psycholinguistics relates the study of language to psychology .It aims to answer such questions as how human mind works when we use language, how we as infants acquire our mother tongue, how we memorize ,and how we process the information we receive in the course of communication.Applied linguistics is the study of such applications. But in a narrow sense applied linguistics refer to the application of linguistic theories and principles to language teaching, especially the teaching of foreign and second languages.3.The change of linguisticsWith time goes by, the linguistics can change a lot. Phonological changes can contents of two major types: sequential change and segmental change.Morphological and syntactic can also have change. It can have the addition of affixes, loss of affixes, the change of word order and the change in negation rule.Lexical and semantic change can be seen in the addition of new words like coinage, clipped words, blending acronyms ,back-formation, functional shift and borrowing, then loss of words semantic changes. All the change can have influence of moving towards greater informality ,and American English, then science and technology. The cause of those change are “the theory of least effort”and “economy of memory”.4.ConclusionLinguistics is the scientific study of language. Language is not only express facts, ideas, or events which represent similar world knowledge by its people, but also reflects the people’s attitude, beliefs, points of views and ways of life. In a word ,language express cultural reality. Linguistic can have close relationship with English study and society. It can bring the way to study a language. It is also related with lexicology. So it is important to learn linguistics well. We should pay more attention to the study of linguistics.。