The Science of Linguistics
Introduction to general linguistics: part one.
What is Linguistics? Suffice it to say and to make it easier to understand, Linguistics is the science of language, the study of language.
What does Linguistics study about language?
This field will certainly train the ability to analyze language scientifically from an objective point of view. Don’t confuse this field with learning to master a foreign language (a specific language) in general.
People who pursue the field of linguistics, or people who are experts in this can also be called Linguists.
A linguist usually has, or should have, both experience and analytical skills.
Perhaps, consciously or unconsciously, humans have an intuitive grasp of language that allows them not to bother with language learning — which explains why the field of linguistics in education has always been undervalued.
Analyzing from an objective point of view is akin to ‘dissecting the treasures of language’, meaning that there is no end to language.
Language scholarship also includes dissecting literature — one of the ‘fruits’ of language — that is read in class during certain subjects or courses, such as when attending Indonesian language classes.
The most basic example, in dissecting literary works, is aimed at being able to explain or learn how the writing can affect the audience.
Language is an inextricable part of being human. The same goes for other parts of humanity, such as one’s narcissistic nature — which represents a person’s feelings, emotions, or love for something.
A writer channels his or her love for literature in the form of prose, poetry, and drama.
“In a literary work, for example a novel, we can read about characters who experience mental disorders, which will affect their further life journey, even endangering others around them…” — Wiyatmi ‘Literary Psychology Theory and Application: 2011
Just mention William Shakespeare, Chairil Anwar, Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Charles Dickens, Leo Tolstoy, and other great writers who have a strong drive towards their passion through the great role of language.”[*]
