1)Linguistics is generally defined as the scientific or systematic study of (human) language.a.The word language preceded by zero article in English implies that linguistics studies not any particular language, e.g. English , Chinese , French and Japane se, but languages in general.b.The word study does not mean “learn” but “investigate”.c.The word scientific refers to the way in whichlanguage is studied.It is a science in the sense that it scientifically studies the rules,systems and principles of human languages. It deals with a wide range of linguistic phenomena,analyzes them,and makes general statements about them.2)Linguistics is always guided by the 3 canons of science:(e c e)exhaustiveness: it strives for thorough-goingness in the examination of relevant materials;consistency: there should be no contradiction between different parts of the total statementeconomy: other things being equal, a shorter statement or analysis is to be preferred to one that is longer or more complex. (e c e)3) The subject matter of linguistics is all natural language, living or dead.4) Linguistics has 2 main purposes:it studies the nature of language and tries to establish a theory of language, and describes languages in the light of the theory established.It examines all the forms of language in general and seeks a scientific understanding of the ways in which it is organized to fulfill the needs it serves and the functions it performs in human life linguistics differs from traditional grammar at least in 3 basic ways:Linguistics describes languages and does not lay down rules of correctness. Linguists are interested in what is said. So they are often said to be descriptive.Linguists regard the spoken language as primary. It is believed that speech came into being first for any human language and the writing system came along much later.Traditional grammar is based on Latin and it tries to impose the Latin categories and structures on other languages, while linguistics describes each language on its ow n merits.For a student of language, some knowledge of linguistics is of both interest and importance.For a teacher of foreign languages, he will definitely a great deal from the knowledge of linguistics.For a researcher, there is even more scope for displaying his abilities.Why study linguistics ?1.Linguistics takes an analytical approach to the study of language, and focus ondeveloping skills in data analysis, problem solving, and logical thinking that can be applied to many fields.2.It is an interdisciplinary subject.3.Linguistics is a science that is still in its infancy but undergoing rapid development, and itis “a pilot science”.What and how linguists study language?1.nature of language (focus on language itself)2.nature of acquisition (focus on learners)3.nature of teaching (focus on teachers)The process of linguistic study can be summarized as follows:.First, certain linguistic facts are observed, and generalizations are made about them;.Next, based on these generalizations, hypotheses are tested by further observations;.And finally a linguistic theory is constructed about what language is and how it works.General linguistics: The study of language as a whole. It deals with the basic concepts, theories, descriptions, models and methods applicable in any linguistic study.Microlinguistics（微观语言学）includes 6 branches, namely, phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and pragmatics. It studies language itself.Macrolinguistics （宏观语言学）studies language in use--- practical usage. macrolinguistics includes:Sociolinguistics studies the relations between language and society: how social factors influence the structure and use of language. Another name for sociolinguistics is the sociology of language. Psycholinguistics is the study of language and mind: the mental structures and processes which are involved in the acquisition, comprehension and production of language.Neurolinguistics or neurological linguistics is the study of language processing and language representation in the brain.Stylistics is the study of how literary effects can be related to linguistic features. It usually refers to the study of written language, including literary texts, but it also investigates spoken language sometimes.Discourse analysis, or text linguistics is the study of the relationship between language and the contexts in which language is used.Computational linguistics is an approach to linguistics which employs mathematical techniques, often with the help of a computer.Cognitive linguistics is an approach to the analysis of natural language that focuses on language as an instrument for organizing, processing, and conveying information.Apart from the different branches of linguistics, there are some distinctions of linguistics, such as: functional linguistics vs formal linguistics; theoretical linguistics vs applied linguistics.Applied linguistics is primarily concerned with the application of linguistic theories, methods and findings to the elucidation of language problems which have arisen in other areas of experience.Phonetics（语音学）: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.Phonetics: The general study of the characteristics of speech sounds.Phonology（音系学/音位学）: The description of the systems and patterns of speech sounds in a language.Phonology is the study of how speech sounds function in a language. It studies the ways speech sounds are organized. It can be seen as the functional phonetics of a particular language. Morphology（形态学，词法学）: The study of the way in which morphemes are arranged to form words.Morphology is the study of the formation of words. It is a branch of linguistics which breaks words into morphemes.Syntax（句法学）:The study of those rules that govern the combination of words to form permissible sentences.Syntax deals with the combination of words into phrases, clauses and sentences. It is the grammar of sentence construction.Semantics(语义学）is a branch of linguistics which is concerned with the study of meaning in abstraction.Pragmatics can be defined as the study of language in use. It deals with how speakers 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 communicate with one another.Language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication.This definition is widely accepted because it includes some of the important characteristics of human language.Language as system---The key word in the definition is "system". Language is systematic. Otherwise we would not be able to learn or use it consistently. Each language system contains two subsystems: a system of sound and a system of meaning.Language is a system—elements in it are not arranged and combined randomly, but according to some rules and principles.Language as arbitrary ---There is no natural relationship between the sound and what it means in a certain language.The relation between sound and meaning is almost always arbitrary or conventional.The relation between sound and meaning is almost always arbitrary.A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.Romeo and JulietThe relation between sound and meaning is almost always conventional《荀子·正名》：“名无固宜，约之以命，约定俗成谓之宜，异于约则谓之不宜。