linguistics

linguistics — noun

1. the academic field that studies how human languages are built, how they change o

1.nounB2
Definition

the academic field that studies how human languages are built, how they change over time, and how they work as systems of communication

Example

Ziad decided to study linguistics after growing up speaking Arabic and French at home.

collocation: study linguistics

Professor Gita’s latest paper in linguistics examines how toddlers learn question words.

collocation: paper in linguistics

Common collocations
  • study linguistics
  • research in linguistics
  • modern linguistics
  • linguistics department
  • linguistics professor
  • field of linguistics
  • theoretical linguistics
  • applied linguistics
Synonyms
  • language science

    a more general, cross-disciplinary term used in psychology, computer science, and education

  • philology

    focuses specifically on historical written texts and literary sources, while modern linguistics covers spoken language and cognitive processes

  • glottology

    a rare, technical synonym from 19th-century scholarship; almost never used in modern writing

Usage Note

Linguistics is an uncountable noun that takes a singular verb, even though it ends in –s. It refers to the entire field of study, not individual languages.

Common Mistakes

I am studying linguistic.
I am studying linguistics.
The field name always ends in –s and is treated as singular.
Linguistics are a broad subject.
Linguistics is a broad subject.
Words ending in –ics (linguistics, mathematics, physics) take singular verbs despite their plural form.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Linguistics is the broad academic field that studies language as a human cognitive and social system — covering sounds (phonetics), word structure (morphology), sentence patterns (syntax), and meaning (semantics). Language science is an informal umbrella term often used interchangeably with linguistics, but it appears more in interdisciplinary contexts such as psychology or computer science departments. Philology, in contrast, focuses specifically on historical written texts and their linguistic development, often tied to literature and cultural history; it is narrower in scope and less concerned with spoken language or cognitive processes. Glottology is a rare, purely technical synonym from 19th-century scholarship that appears almost exclusively in specialized academic writing. For example, a student saying ‘I am studying linguistics’ is likely learning modern theories of syntax and phonology, whereas someone studying philology would be analyzing ancient manuscripts.

linguistics ↗language sciencephilologyglottology

Common collocations

Nouns

  • linguistics professor
  • linguistics department
  • linguistics student
  • linguistics degree

Phrases

  • field of linguistics
  • branch of linguistics

Prepositions

  • in linguistics
  • of linguistics

Etymology

LatinFrenchGermanEnglish

The word linguistics was borrowed from German Linguistik in the early 19th century, which in turn came from French linguistique. Both trace back to Latin lingua, meaning ‘tongue’ or ‘language.’ The suffix –istics marks it as a systematic field of study, similar to mathematics or statistics.