1. Theoretical Linguistics:
* Phonetics & Phonology: The study of speech sounds, how they are produced and perceived, and how they function in a language.
* Morphology: The study of how words are formed, including their structure, components (morphemes), and how they are combined to create new words.
* Syntax: The study of how words are combined into phrases and sentences, focusing on sentence structure and grammatical rules.
* Semantics: The study of meaning in language, including the meanings of words, phrases, and sentences.
* Pragmatics: The study of how language is used in context, considering factors like speaker intent, social context, and conversational implicature.
* Psycholinguistics: The study of the mental processes involved in language, including language acquisition, language comprehension, and language production.
* Sociolinguistics: The study of language variation and how it is influenced by social factors, such as age, gender, social class, and ethnicity.
* Historical Linguistics: The study of language change over time, including the evolution of languages and the relationships between languages.
* Computational Linguistics: The study of language using computational methods, including natural language processing and machine learning.
2. Applied Linguistics:
* Language Acquisition: The study of how language is learned, including first language acquisition and second language acquisition.
* Language Teaching: The study of the principles and practices of language teaching, including curriculum design, materials development, and teaching methodologies.
* Language Policy: The study of language policies and their impact on language use and development.
* Forensic Linguistics: The application of linguistic principles to legal proceedings, such as analyzing written documents, audio recordings, and witness statements.
* Translation and Interpretation: The study of the principles and practices of translation and interpretation, including translation theory, translation technology, and interpreter training.
These core fields are interconnected and often overlap. For example, a study of language acquisition might draw on insights from phonetics, syntax, and semantics. Additionally, new sub-fields are continually emerging, such as neurolinguistics, which examines the neural basis of language.