Linguistics is the scientific study of language. Someone who engagesin this study is called a linguist. Linguistics can be theoretical or applied.
Theoretical (or general) linguistics studies language structure (grammar), and meaning (semantics). The study of grammar encompasses morphology (formation and alteration of words) and syntax (the rules that determine the way words combine into phrases and sentences). Phonology, which is the system used to represent language through abstract 'sounds', also forms part of this field.
Linguistics compares languages (comparative linguistics) and explores their histories, in order to find universal properties of language and to account for its development and origins (historical linguistics). Slightly separate from general linguistics is the sub-field of phonetics, the study of how sounds are produced and perceived.
Applied linguistics puts linguistic theories into practice in areas such as foreign language teaching, speech therapy, translation and speech pathology.
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