Linguistics as an academic discipline, hasn’t always been as well defined as it is now. For many centuries, experts remained undecided which category of human knowledge linguistics fit into. Over the centuries, philosophers, scientists, theologians, and even occultists proposed a range of different linguistics theories.
Jean Jaques Rousseau, the 18th-century French philosopher, believed that linguistics derived its real force from some inherent auditory potency that is unique to human hearing. In the 1960s, Noam Chomsky, the MIT professor who is considered the father of modern linguistics, pointed out that the real meaning of language is coded into statements in the form of underlying, implicit, but unstated propositions built into the deep structures of language. But it’s known as Chomsky’s Theory of transformational grammar.
Linguists perform many complex and interesting tasks related to patterns and meaning within languages; far too many, and too complex to describe here. So what makes a good linguist?
Detail Oriented
Modern linguistics involves heavy doses of data analysis. So, a good linguist needs to have a keen eye for detail if they’re going to be effective at identifying patterns. Linguists need to know the etymology of words in languages they study, because it’s a good indicator for what a word means. If for example a linguist is transcribing the dialogue of a video production to come with a script to use in subtitling the video, understanding the nuances of meaning might make the difference between correct word choice, and incorrect word choice. Etymology will also lend insight to determine whether words that sound the same will share similarities in meaning.
Teaching Skills
Just like any other discipline, the entire point of linguistics is ultimately, to pass that knowledge on to others. And it takes real skill and talent to percolate complicated subject matter down into everyday terminology that novices can understand. As Albert Einstein said, “Any fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius—and a lot of courage—to move in the opposite direction.” Imagine how useful this would be for a linguist whose job involves teaching a second language to children.
Communication
Communication skills may seem too obvious to state. But, linguists are no different than people of any other profession. Just with technology, or medicine, or even simpler professions, there are always people who understand their own subject matter, but can’t manage to communicate in terms others will understand. Communication skills tend to flow naturally from attention to detail, and teaching skills, but not always.
For a linguist communication begins with knowing their subject matter inside and out, then understanding how audiences receive information in the most efficient way. A linguist who understand the real-world practice of communication will be able to express their complex body of knowledge quickly and accurately to just about any audience.
Patience/Passion
Patience and passion will feed into each other for anybody whose professional studies involve complex, detailed sets of information. A linguist who has passion for the work they do will also have patience for the work when things turn mundane and routine. A linguist who has patience will be able to find the deeper nuances, and subtle patterns underneath the minutiae of language and ignite their passion for the work. Linguistics can be a lot to digest. History, culture, ethnography, and colloquial memetics might make a disenchanted linguist feel like they are in over their head. But, one who has patience and passion will find joy in those things.
There you have it! Linguists aren’t necessarily translators, but their job might involve developing techniques for translating previously undescribed languages. Linguists aren’t necessarily polyglots, but the patterns they uncover may inform how we comprehend meaning across several different languages. Linguistics is a dynamic and exciting field, and it promises to stay that way for the foreseeable future.
