Definition

Noun: - A branch of linguistics that analyzes language as a system of interrelated formal structures and units. It focuses on the systematic relationships between elements within a language, such as phonemes, morphemes, and syntax, often without primary emphasis on meaning or historical development.

Usage

• Structural linguistics is often contrasted with generative grammar or functional approaches.
• It provides a framework for describing the structural patterns of a language at a specific point in time.

Examples

• The professor's expertise in structural linguistics was evident in her detailed analysis of sentence patterns.
• Early 20th-century structural linguistics laid the groundwork for many modern descriptive methods.
• His research applies principles of structural linguistics to the study of regional dialects.

Advanced Usage

• In a methodological sense: Refers to the analytical techniques themselves.
  • The study employed structural linguistics to map the phonemic inventory of the language.

Variants and Related Words

• Structuralist (adj/n): Pertaining to or a practitioner of structural linguistics or structuralism.
  • A structuralist approach to myth analysis.
• Structuralism (n): The broader theoretical approach, especially in anthropology and literary theory, influenced by linguistic structuralism.

Synonyms

• Descriptive linguistics (in a specific, synchronic sense)
• Structural analysis (of language)

Related Phrases

• Structural analysis: The process of breaking down language into its constituent parts and describing their relationships, a core activity in structural linguistics.

Noun

1. linguistics defined as the analysis of formal structures in a text or discourse