LINGUISTICS

Linguistics is a systematic study of language. It is concerned with human language as universal and recognisable part of human behaviour. Its aim is to seek a scientific understanding of the place of human language in human life, the way in which it is organised to fulfill the needs it serves and the function it performs. The subject matter of linguistics is all natural language,living or dead.Like all sciences, linguistics employs careful methods to observe, record and analyse the phenomena related to its subject matter,namely language.The linguist constructs a theory and tests it against the facts of language. The theory explains the observed facts and predicts new facts.Like a scientist, the linguist is engaged in discovering more about languages,in refining his methods of investigation and constructing better theories.
Phonetics is a branch of linguistics dealing with the medium of speech.It deals with the production transmission and reception of the sounds of human speech.The selection and organisation of sounds in a particular language constitute the phonology of that language.