What is linguistics? It is a science that concerns structure and changes in human languages. There are several branches of linguistics: phonology and phonetics, morphology and syntax, pragmatics and semantics. Thus, linguists examine the meaning, critical discourse, and lots of other features.
With this diversity within one discipline, it can be pretty tricky to choose a topic for your linguistics essay. Of course, you should write about a specific research question. You can describe historical perspectives or reflect and share your opinion on the issue that you have picked. But where exactly should you start?
That’s why you ended up on this page: you need to figure out how to write an essay about linguistics. Our team has prepared helpful tips so that you can understand the structure and design of such an academic paper. We’ve also collected linguistics essay topics that you can use.
As you might have guessed, your linguistics essay should be based on a good idea. The topic should limit the area that you will look at and analyze in your paper. Or it can indicate the intersections between the subdivisions you will study. In this section, we will help you deal with this problem.
You can use the following topics to write your own language and linguistics essay:
Verbal linguistic learning style techniques and their efficiency.
Gender-specific job title in the English language.
English as a global language for tourists and professionals.
The reasons why some languages are easier to learn.
Noam Chomsky’s theory of universal grammar.
Grammar in American and British sign languages.
Passive voice misuse in modern linguistics.
The history of sign language.
The role of semantics in linguistics and language learning.
How translation distorts the initial meaning.
The main linguistic features of the English language.
The typical features of formal English.
Machine learning as a part of applied linguistics.
The benefits of learning foreign languages.
The evolution of linguistics as a science.
Corpus linguistics in teaching languages.
The analysis of Greek history through linguistics.
A case study of modern slang.
Long-term and short-term memory as explored by psycholinguists.
The metaphor theory in cognitive linguistics.
Tips on Writing a Perfect Linguistics Essay
Here, you’ll see our recommendations for composing an essay about linguistics. There are some things you should keep in mind before and while writing your paper:
1. Plan your paper ahead. Decide what your arguments and position are. What should your research involve? Think about the audience of your paper to define your word choice. Search for some credible sources, such as articles about language that support your arguments. Outline your essay, paying close attention to your thesis statement.
2. Remember to be clear. There should be no surprises. State what your conclusion is about in the introduction. The first and the last paragraphs should be connected. Introduce your message as a whole in the thesis statement. Also, always define if you discuss someone else’s viewpoint or your thoughts.
3. Incorporate examples. Explain why you include the supporting evidence before introducing them. Don’t make your readers doubt their relevance. Define if you are citing another author or your own example. In the text, use italics and quotation marks if you need them.
4. Cite and reference. First of all, it is necessary to avoid plagiarism in your work. Secondly, references help to highlight the importance and credibility of your arguments. You can use linguistic articles in English or any other language. Just make sure that you follow the requirements of your institution. There is no exact number of references that you need to use while writing an essay about linguistics. Let’s say that you need more than one or two to make your argument look solid.
5. Work on your wording. Don’t make any firm judgments about your own or other authors’ work in this type of academic writing. Try not to use such words as “obviously” or “absurd.” Incorporate phrases like “clearly” and “without a doubt” carefully. The scientific questions you introduce should appear testable and empirical.
We hope our tips and topics were useful to you. Some good linguistics essay examples can also help you write a perfect paper – you can find them below.
The program of 'contrastive linguistics' was formulated in the 1960s and 1970s with the primary goal of making foreign language teaching more efficient.
The purpose of Umberto Eco, one of the most noted literary figures of the contemporary era, in this article begins in expressing the problem of representing space into words.
As compared to their native English-speaking classmates, bilinguals usually have to put in extra effort and time to cope with the fast pace of the American way of teaching. Some of the students find listening [...]
To quote Nagel: "The mystery of meaning is that it does not seem to be located anywhere - not in the word, not in the mind, not in a separate concept or idea hovering between [...]
The Mongolian languages are spoken by about 6 million people who live mainly in three regions: the Republic of Mongolia, the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region of China, and the region of Lake Baykal in Siberia.
In general, the most common difference between Singapore English from various existing English is that there is generally no difference between long and short vowels.
Saussure's division of the linguistic sign into the signifier and the signified stresses that the meaning of a sign does not inhere in the signifier, but is the product of a process of signification, of [...]
According to the paradigm based on cognitive psychology, second language acquisition is based in part on information processing and in part on studies and theory that have evolved over the years on the role of [...]
Speech is the individual phenomenon, and language is "a social product of speech ability, set of the necessary conditions acquired by the public collective for the realization of this ability at separate persons".
In this system, English is a secondary language geared to making students catch up with their academics until they can get comfortable enough to join mainstream English classes.'Bilingual education is a step backward in our [...]
Within the frames of another tradition, the impact of mass communication and mass culture on language and mass consciousness is analyzed in a different critical way.
Some of the most significant studies suggest that various methods and strategies can be adopted in the teaching of the second language and many of them claim to be effective in the second language teaching [...]
It is very neccessory to the one who speaks any of the language, to have the knowledge of use of phonetic alphabet in the language, so others can understand his words.
Phrases such as 'pain', 'pain in the neck, and 'bingo' are commonly used by American teenagers and prove the notion what Ellis conforms that teenagers' skill over a range of styles and slang jargons indicates [...]
The current essay deals with a crucial issue of the interrelation of syntax and lexical meaning in the process of word formation and constructing utterances and longer structural elements of a discourse.
Regarding the forms which you did not hear, such as "may can," "should could," etc: "may" and "might" are the only constituents that can occur first in a double modal, since they have the strongest [...]
Apart from the scientific definitions of the word malleable that describes the term as metals that are "capable of being extended or shaped by beating with a hammer or by the pressure of rollers," the [...]
Tense and the various elements of tense have been the topic for several researches and studies, and the research findings and results in these aspects of syntax have been numerous.
While learning a foreign language, two types of approaches are used: A deductive approach An inductive approach A deductive approach is used under the influence of any suggested rule by the teacher.
In the studies of second language phonology, it is found that the pronunciation of learners often deviates from that of native speakers of the target languages.
2008) It provides a method for classifying phonological features of any language according to a set of classes developed, which are based upon the location, method of utterance, and the descriptive geometry of the speech [...]
Perhaps the best way to begin the discussion is to clearly define first the meaning of literal. The best way to understand this predicament is to cite a concrete example, and that in this case, [...]
The mode of use, the language of the user, the level of the user and the aims of use are the main factors that determine the fall of grammar into four basic types: pedagogical grammar, [...]
When code-switching is regarded as the custom in a language society like Hong Kong, it can reinforce contacts, particularly when both parties of the conversation understand English that is being used.
The degree of development of speech inevitably affects feeling of the child when skill to state the ideas and to understand speech of associates influences their place and a role in a society.
It is revealed that the world's English speakers which can be categorized to those who speak it natively, as a second language in their own country and as a foreign language entirely have already outnumbered [...]
Despite the growing number of Chinese and Arabic-speaking people, English will stay the most popular language in the world because of the available foundation in science, business, and politics, and also the dominance of the [...]
Teaching foreign language presupposes the gradual improvement of the knowledge of linguistic units and grammar rules that are needed to build sentences and communicate.
The importance of bilingualism at the professional level is displayed through the changes in society as a whole and the advantages that are speaking two languages has.
The primary purpose of the essay was to define and analyze Tan's struggles with linguistic identity and how she used her background and relationship with the English language to become a writer.
Interestingly, in the philosophy of language, colloquialism is sometimes regarded as ordinary, natural language in contrast to the specialized forms used in logic and other areas of philosophy. Curiously, in the majority of instances, jargon [...]
The author explains that there are many different approaches to discourse analysis and the use of a particular approach depends a lot on the purpose of the analysis.
Phonetic transcription is anchored in the visual depiction of speech sounds. Phonetic transcription is an essential tool for professionals since it allows an excellent understanding of the meaning of words.
As it was implied in the introduction, Connected, but Alone tackles the main issue of post-industrial modernity in the West the fact that the passage of time seems to have a strongly detrimental effect on [...]
The existence of these problems deteriorates the outcomes of the introduced policies and decreases the effectiveness of second language education in Canada.
That is why much attention is devoted to the development of tools, models, and methods of language teaching that are used in modern educational establishments to achieve success and ensure a high level of language [...]
The author vividly presents the variety of incomprehensible examples of Chinglish phrases and objectively presents the opposing views of different sides of the discussion about the appropriateness of "mangled English".
The author provides an example of her visit to a dentist as a child, which inspired Anzaldua to think about culture and its connection to the mother tongue. Anzaldua's work provides an understanding of the [...]
These characteristics make the Yucatec Mayan language quite similar to other Mayan languages, with the principle of articulation being prominent in the Mayan language family due to the recurrent use of the vowel-vowel sequence. Therefore, [...]
The purpose of this critique is to evaluate the speech I gave during the class, note the strong and weak points as I see them after the fact, and suggest improvements.
First of all, in the majority of Indo-European languages, there are several similarities in the meanings of words and their pronunciation which makes the understanding of the context easier for a learner.
It is not only an outdated and incorrect way to assess a person's intellectual abilities but also hate speech that can offend a certain group of people.
The question that children tend to ask during the stage of awareness and exploration are the main signifiers of the literacy development process being launched.
For the language observation assignment, one person was interviewed about her attitudes to language learning with the help of SM platforms, the effectiveness of such practice, and the role that SM should play in learning [...]
The second topic that will also be highlighted is the use of everyday words and challenges arising from the real-life application of the English language for English language learners.
Thus, the scholar explains the importance of the interconnection between intertextuality and the discourse community. Porter mentions that the best way to understand the community is to perform a critical reading of its discourse.
The paper is divided into four parts: social aspects of the invention, invention as a dialectical process, invention as an act, and classical criteria for a social view of the invention.
He notes how crucial it is to keep in mind the following factors before commencing to read: the type of the assignment, the writer's goals and interests, the strategies analyzed in the class, and the [...]
The research will come up with an understanding surrounding the grammar topics that are most challenging to the students. Additionally, it is likely that the said errors will be complicated and related to the daily [...]
Thus, it is the role of teachers to encourage students not to be afraid of making mistakes and sharing their thoughts, especially in language learning.
The book The Cheese and the Worms depicts the amazing history of Domenico Scandella, a miller in Menocchio, an Italian province, who suggested a unique vision regarding the process involved in the creation of the [...]
However, for a sizeable instance, while studying the language, I have noted the complication of the Chinese language. For instance, the language focuses on memorizing, therefore, the challenge of recalling most of the material learned [...]
The particular topic that I decided to study within the frame of the project is the usage of such expressions as 'to make an appointment andto make an appointment in the English language.
Ann disagreed with the specified statement, producing a perlocutionary act: 'I think you should judge movies on their own merit.' Since the identified sentence veers off the initial topic of the conversation and is an [...]
Hence even if you speak the international language in your office, you need to learn how to speak the local language because you need to learn how to converse in the local language because it [...]
The whiteboard was also used in the delivery of the content of this interactive lesson for the young learners. A cognitive learning strategy was applied in the lesson to manage the expectations of learners and [...]
There are three main reasons why I choose this program: the possibility to learn the host culture and traditions, the necessity to improve my understanding of the Russian ideology, and the opportunity to develop my [...]
All of the above theories can be applied to speech in a variety of settings and conditions, and thus can be used to interpret the meaning of utterances or choose a particular expression to communicate [...]
In conclusion, a good academic process provides both non-native and native speakers the competencies they need to be excellent English language speakers.
However, it has to be mentioned that sometimes I use a mixture of traditional Chinese and the dialect, as it increases the effectiveness of communication.
I found the explanation of a concept of research paper to be the most difficult of all assignments in this semester; however, I strongly feel that despite the difficulty, I delivered a thorough research paper.
It is necessary to note that vocabulary was quite restricted and the structure of the pidgin was characterized by simplicity. It is possible to illustrate this with the help of negative structures in Chinook.
Apparently, if the subject and the object are not expressed by nouns, the subject and the object are expressed by affixes added to the verb in Southern Tiwa.
In Standard English comparative form of adjectives is formed with the help of the suffix er, if the word consists of less than two syllables, and it is formed with the help of the word [...]
One of changes which are taking place in some verb forms is the use of past participle without copula like in the following examples: "I swum fifty lengths today"."I seen Kim this morning"."I drunk the [...]
Even though there is no abstract included, the format of the paper meets the requirements of scholarly articles because the paper is well organized, the language is clear and short, and no pictures, bright photos, [...]
While it is true that there are numerous study areas for a student to become proficient in, having a good command of a foreign language enhances the overall learning capacity and may even improve your [...]
As to the negative sentences, the head of the sister of T is found in Neg which lacks verbal characteristics and cannot be regarded as a verbal category.
It is quite remarkable that, according to the survey results, a lot of the students find the Chinese language and culture rather enticing, at the same time acknowledging that they do not like some parts [...]
First Activity: Lecture Materials: Lecture Topic: Understand Language Learning Strategies for EFL Learners Learning Objectives A student will be able to: Understand different language learning strategies; Assess learning strategies in the context of cognitive theories, [...]
The third section presents the instrument, which is the Questionnaire designed by the researcher to measure the frequency of strategy use by university students.
The following scheme was applied: I chose a card, read the word in accordance with its transcription, read its translation, and then put the card into the second pile, and so with all the cards.
As I was going through the pack for the first time, I noticed that I could remember the meaning of nine words, or approximately one-fifth of the total count, as a result of making the [...]
The assessment of the potential and current problems is crucial for the successful elimination of further complications. In the following paper, the article concerning language development in children who are 3-6 years old will be [...]
The written text is performed in the form of an article and is written in the publicist style. In this sentence, the word "he" is anaphoric and refers to the officer.
It was very awkward for Jane to realize that the man he had trusted had attacked her younger brother, was overwhelmed and decided to use a rod against him.
In this case, the study vehemently referred to the matter that the communicative skills and understanding of the vocabulary usage have to be studied separately to propose relevant indigenous criteria and enhance the level of [...]
One of the benefits of studying phonetics is that it shows the difference between languages through the different sounds that the languages in question have.
However, the works by Ferdinand de Saussure remain to be the most significant sources which define the nature of structuralism and the development of structural linguistics.
As my longhand sprung to sample one of these eye-pleasing fruits, my fingers stretched with expectation while my feet struggled to lift my lean body to a higher level where the oranges hung vicariously from [...]
In order to turn the proposal requiring the US students to take four years of foreign language in high school in a policy, there is need to assimilate trans-languaging in the curriculum to promote appreciation [...]
In the course of teaching a language, it is common to encounter errors on the part of the teacher. The two researchers argue that the 'correct format' of a language is that which is produced [...]
The purpose of this paper is to examine specific linguistic issues related to the illocutionary level of language in the translation of "A Lesson from Kama Sutra" with the focus on analyzing register, genre, and [...]
In the paintings originating from the Rubin Museum of art, there is this specific catchy piece of art of Shantarakshita and his holy life in the Himalayan region in the 18th century.
The main indications that one can indeed be referred to as a native speaker, are the concerned individual's fluency in what can be considered his native language, the person's emotional comfortableness with this language, and [...]
As we discover how complicated language is, we also move into a new form of language, a visual literacy, that takes place in the advent of the ubiquity of computer screens.
Secondly, the learners have considerable difficulties in handling the English language because of the differences in grammatical and syntactical structures of the Arabic language and the English language.
With regard to current research conducted in the sphere of L1 use, Arabic can have a positive role in teaching and learning English as a second language.
However, for instance, in the case of the accounting discourse community to which I belong, three different genres of the discourse texts may be defined: the genre of producers, the genre of the customers, and [...]
English dispersed to the rest of the world becoming a leading language of international communication due to the extensive influence of Great Britain and the United Kingdom.
The principal emphasis is put on the lexical side of the language; thus, the researchers carry out a detailed analysis of the vocabulary units that the students employ.
What is the role of a teacher in teaching grammar in the writing context? The second part of the research will focus on the teachers' perspectives on the teaching of grammar and its role in [...]
The knowledge of the two aspects of translation enables the translators' brain to read the source information and translate it instantly without errors.
The choice was quite correct as I had a set of questions and I could see the reaction to this or that question, which enabled me to adjust my enquiry and maintain the friendly atmosphere.
This is quite similar to the rapid construction of a grammar theory that is described by Ottenheimer, and he suggests that children at an early age understand the importance of language and use it as [...]
It needs to be said that the biggest difference that is worth noting is that symbols are used to describe a particular concept and not a sound like in other systems.
