ABSTRACT
Linguistics is the scientific study of any aspect of language. Since language is a human universal, all academic fields that study humans have an interest in language. In general, a linguist might study the rules by which linguistic elements are formed, that is, grammar (Chapters 4 and 5); how linguistic elements carry meaning (semantics and related studies, Chapter 6); and how language context influences and shapes meaning (pragmatics and related fields, Chapter 6).
