Linguistics

Linguistics

The scientific study of human language.

Contributors in Linguistics

Linguistics

Homograph is a word that is spelled the same as another but is pronounced differently. A homograph is a word that has the same spelling as another word, but a different meaning. Example: The spelling ...

Idiom

Language; Linguistics

Idiom is an expression (i.e. term or phrase) whose meaning cannot be deduced from the literal definition and the arrangement of its parts, but refers instead to a figurative meaning that is known ...

Valency

Language; Linguistics

Valency is closely related, though not identical, to transitivity. Transitivity refers to the number of core arguments of the verb that are not optional (giving intransitive verbs, transitive verbs, ...

Translation

Language; Linguistics

Translation is the interpretation of the meaning of a text in one language (the "source text") and the production, in another language, of an equivalent text (the "target text," or "translation") ...

Ambiguity

Language; Linguistics

Ambiguity is the property of words, terms, and concepts (within a particular context) as being undefined, undefinable, or without an obvious definition and thus having an unclear meaning. A word, ...

Zero affix

Language; Linguistics

Zero affix is for instance used to built an irregular plural form. The word "sheep" can be either singular or plural, because its plural morpheme is a zero affix (it does not exist: *sheeps). The ...

Polysemy

Language; Linguistics

Polysemy is the capacity for a sign (e.g. a word, phrase, etc...) or signs to have multiple meanings (sememes, i.e. a large semantic field). This is a pivotal concept within social sciences, such as ...