Introduction to Linguistics #1

Linguistics :  Scientific study of language.
Linguistics should be empirical, exact, and objective.

Canons of Linguistics as A Scientific Study :

1. Exhaustiveness = the adequate treatment of all the relevant material.
2. Consistency = the absence of contradiction between different parts of the total statement.
3. Economy = a shorter statement or analysis employing fewer terms is to be preferred to one that is longer or more involved.

Branches of Linguistics :

1. General Linguistics
2. Descriptive Linguistics
3. Historical Linguistics
4. Comparative Linguistics

Approaches to Linguistics

It's I     - prescriptive - what people should say (grammatically)
It's me - descriptive   - what people really say

The Range of General Linguistics

1. Level of Analysis : phonology, morphology, syntax.
2. Language and Communication : definition and origin of language.
3. Phonetics, Phonology, Grammar, and Semantics.

Example :

Phonological level : #p  → p^h   ~ vowel -- #

Morphological level : practical = practice + al 

Syntactical level : 1. The man I often went fishing with died last night.

                                2. The man whom I often went fishing with died last night.

                                3. The man with whom I often went fishing died last night.

       

Simple Tips : How to Make a Good Written English

First, check your spelling and capitalization.
Second, check your grammar.
Third, make sure that your sentence make sense.
Fourth, make sure all sentences are connected (in writing paragraph)

Those are basic steps how to make a good written English. This unity of steps can be applied by all people. If one of them cannot be applied, it means that your English is still bad. When you realize your English is bad, please accept any correction from your more-legible friend even if his/her correction hurts your heart because he/she proves that you've done many mistakes. You've to think logically.