Is Linguistics Necessary? Debunking Common Myths About the Language Sciences

Language plays a critical role in every culture across the globe. Studying these languages is the job of linguists. But how do linguists contribute to society? Is their work actually important? To answer these questions, we need to debunk a few common myths about the language sciences.

1. Linguistics Is Purely About Relationships Between Languages

When the field of linguistics emerged in the 19th century, it was indeed about the relationships between languages. For instance, one of the major aspects was searching for a protolanguage that links all modern and extinct languages.

However, the field has changed considerably since then. In the 21st century, language sciences takes research from a wide range of other fields — including biology and geology — to explore possibilities for grammar, how the brain processes languages, and the ways languages can change over time. Today, linguistics is more a study of how the brain processes language, including natural laws for languages, than about culture and national identity.

2. Language Sciences Has No Real-World Applications

The research language scientists carry out is important for many reasons. One significant application is neurolinguistics. By using modern technologies to examine brain processes, scientists can understand how children learn languages. They can also use their knowledge to support rehabilitation of patients with conditions like aphasia.

It’s important to remember that not all languages are spoken. Sign language is a common example of a visual language, whereas an alternative communication system many people are unaware of is whistled languages. Studying these non-spoken languages using neurolinguistics allows scientists to explore the similarities and differences in brain processes. All this provides us with a greater understanding of how the brain works.

3. Linguists Need to Speak Many Languages

Many people confuse linguists with polyglots. Whereas polyglots are fluent in multiple languages, this is not something that is important for linguists. In fact, they may not even speak the languages they study fluently, especially if they are working closely with speakers of endangered languages. Of greater concern to linguists is understanding how languages work, particularly what grammatical structures are always impossible. Importantly, a benefit of being a linguist is that it is easier to learn a new language.

Since language is present in all cultures, it is clearly crucial for our species and certainly something that is worth studying further. Professor Andrew Nevins of UCL explores the topic of what linguistics is in more depth and discusses other aspects of the language sciences that contribute to this fascinating discipline. Check out all his First Lecture videos on YouTube.