In
linguistics,
languages are often studied in terms of seven major subsystems, which relate to major subfields within linguistics. In addition, particular subfields of linguistic inquiry may divide their subject matter into more specific subsystems. This list contains links to commonly studied language subsystems.
Major subsystems
Linguists recognize seven major language subsystems:
*
Phonetics, the
sounds of human
speech, including their physiological production, acoustic properties, auditory perception, and neurophysiological status;
*
Phonology, the systematic use of sound to encode meaning in any spoken
human language (
natural language or
constructed language
A constructed language (sometimes called a conlang) is a language whose phonology, grammar, and vocabulary, instead of having developed naturally, are consciously devised for some purpose, which may include being devised for a work of fiction. ...
);
*
Morphology
Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to:
Disciplines
*Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts
*Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...
, the structure of meaningful units of a language, such as
words and
affix
In linguistics, an affix is a morpheme that is attached to a word stem to form a new word or word form. Affixes may be derivational, like English ''-ness'' and ''pre-'', or inflectional, like English plural ''-s'' and past tense ''-ed''. They ar ...
es;
*
Lexicology, the study of words;
*
Syntax, the principles and rules for constructing
phrases,
clause
In language, a clause is a constituent that comprises a semantic predicand (expressed or not) and a semantic predicate. A typical clause consists of a subject and a syntactic predicate, the latter typically a verb phrase composed of a verb w ...
s, and the like in human languages;
*
Semantics, the
meaningful content of words,
sentences, or other language elements; and
*
Pragmatics, the ways in which
context contributes to meaning in natural language use.
This division varies among linguists and authors. For example, phonetics and phonology are occasionally merged into one subsystem. Morphology and lexicology can also be merged.
Sociolinguistics
* The term ''
variety'' in
sociolinguistics is used as a cover term for dialects, registers, and other forms of language, including standard languages.
**
Dialect refers to a variety that is used by a particular group of speakers.
**
Accent refers to a specific system of pronunciation.
**
Idiolect refers to the variety that is used by an individual speaker.
**
Register
Register or registration may refer to:
Arts entertainment, and media Music
* Register (music), the relative "height" or range of a note, melody, part, instrument, etc.
* ''Register'', a 2017 album by Travis Miller
* Registration (organ), th ...
or
style refer to a variety that is used in a particular setting or for a particular purpose.
**
Standard language is a variety promoted by some social group, either officially or unofficially, as the preferred form.
*
Abstand and ausbau languages
In sociolinguistics, an abstand language is a language variety or cluster of varieties with significant linguistic distance from all others, while an ausbau language is a standard variety, possibly with related dependent varieties. Heinz Kloss ...
are concepts developed by sociolinguists to describe related language varieties, ranging from dialects of a single language to distinct languages.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Language subsystems
Linguistics
Sociolinguistics lists
Linguistic units