1. Theoretical Linguistics:
* Generative Grammar: Focuses on the underlying rules and principles that govern language, aiming to create a formal model of grammar. Key figures: Noam Chomsky, Syntactic Structures (1957)
* Formal Semantics: Studies the meaning of language, particularly in terms of logic and formal systems.
* Phonetics and Phonology: Concerned with the sounds of language - how they are produced, perceived, and organized in systems.
* Morphology: Deals with the structure of words and how they are formed from smaller units (morphemes).
* Syntax: Focuses on the structure of sentences and how words are combined to form phrases and clauses.
* Pragmatics: Studies the meaning of language in context, including how speakers use language to achieve certain effects.
2. Applied Linguistics:
* Language Acquisition: Examines how children learn language and how language development proceeds.
* Second Language Acquisition: Focuses on the processes involved in learning a second language, including factors that influence learning and teaching methods.
* Language Assessment: Develops and evaluates methods for testing language proficiency.
* Sociolinguistics: Studies the relationship between language and society, including how language varies across social groups and contexts.
* Computational Linguistics: Uses computers to analyze and process language, including areas like natural language processing and machine translation.
3. Other Branches:
* Historical Linguistics: Traces the history of languages and their evolution over time.
* Cognitive Linguistics: Investigates the mental processes involved in language use, exploring how language is represented in the mind.
* Neurolinguistics: Studies the neural basis of language, exploring how the brain processes language.
* Typology: Classifies and compares different languages based on their structural features.
Important Note:
These are just some of the major styles in linguistics. There is often significant overlap between different approaches, and many linguists draw on multiple perspectives in their research.
It's also crucial to recognize that these are not mutually exclusive categories, and many linguists work across multiple areas. For example, a linguist studying second language acquisition might also draw on theories from sociolinguistics and pragmatics.