It is essential to study language by tracing back the phases when language was first studied. What is meant by language is always human language, as animals have no language, though they communicate to each other. As animal symbolicum, human beings have symbolized realities by using language. This brings to succeed to add human knowledge. Knowledge can add through language. Due to the importance of the essence of language, it is not only useful, but also important to study the periods when and by whom language is scientifically studied.

• c. 500 BC: Pānini and his followers in India produce oral treatises on phonetics and language structure. Later, independent traditions of language study develop in Europe.
• 1786: founding of modern linguistics, on the basis of a seminal speech by Sir William Jones concerning the relations between Sanskrit, Latin, Greek and other ancient languages. Linguistics enters a historical phase in which principles of language comparison and classification emerge.
• Early, twentieth century: structuralism predominates in linguistics. ‘Structuralists’ like Ferdinand de Saussure in Europe and Leonard Bloomfield and others in the USA were concerned with internal systems of languages rather than with historical comparisons.
• 1957: Generative linguistics is founded with the publication of Noam Chomsky’s Syntactic Structures. Linguistics shifts to a psycho-biological stage, with interest in the way in which children acquire language on the basis of an abstract ‘universal grammar’ common to all language.

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Comments (6)

• |2010-04-03 02:26:35 sugeng  - pre-Panini
  

  Before Panini's grammar, greek's logic and rhetoric or chinese, Hebrew and arabic grammatical stuctures,our acestors had communicated simplistically without written symbols or representation. In the study of language, linguistics was invented just to analyze and describe(descriptive linguistics) how language is spoken by a group of people in a speech community. Descriptivism is the belief that description is more significant to teach, study and practice than prescription. As it's contrasted to linguistic description. you and i can still communicate without fancy linguistic terms or science. We can still be in touch and communicative without Panini,Ferdinand de Saussure in Europe, Edward Sapir and Leonard Bloomfield in the USA or Noam Chomsky with his generative or transformational grammar. we might still need William Labov's sociolinguistics and modern psycholinguistics.
  Reply

• |2010-04-03 22:07:33 Hidayatur rohmah  - thank you very much Prof,,,,
  

  Assalamu'alaikum,,,thank you for your article, that's very important to help me in learning language. According to your explanation in the previous meeting,although human being as an animal symbolicum have capacity to symbolize realities, but not all of realities can be symbolized by human, so how to symbolize it?and in learning language which one we've to choose learn grammar/structure or vocabulary ahead?which one is more effective?I'm looking forward for your replying. thank you very much.
  Reply

• |2010-04-04 07:35:59 mia
  

  Prof.I like reading this article, but I really need your explanation more, I am confused. hopefully I could comprehend later...
  Reply

• |2010-04-05 11:58:43 agus
  

  ok thank you very much
  Reply

• |2010-04-05 12:05:45 imaroh
  

  assalamualaikum......
  good evening my beloved teacher
  i am sorry i could not come in your class in the last week because i had to back to my home in center java because my father n my mother were sick,and i hope tomorrow i can join your class
  thanks for your attention
  Reply

• |2010-04-08 04:27:40 mudji  - thanks
  

  
  Dear Imaroh,
  
  Thanks for your information to let me know you were absent. Hope your parents got better soon.
  However, I want you to be present in my class as you are one of my good students. Our class runs well with your presence.
  
  Best regards,
  
  Mudji
  Reply

• |2010-04-05 13:36:06 ayu wahidatus sholihah
  

  ass,,,sir your explanation last meeting is better than before because the room is convenient. so I could catch your word clearly...hope the next meeting,,,will be more interesting,,,,
  Reply

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