Linguistics is the scientific study of human language, and someone who engages in this study is called a linguist.

Divisions, Specialties, and Subfields

• Theoretical vs. Applied: Theoretical (or general) linguistics is concerned with frameworks for describing individual languages and theories about universal aspects of language; applied linguistics applies these theories to practical problems such as language teaching, speech synthesis, or speech therapy.
• Autonomous vs. Contextual (note: these terms are not well-established): Autonomous linguistics studies what Saussure called langue or what Chomsky calls Ithe nature of language abstracting away from many aspects of its day-to-day usage. Contextual linguistics is concerned with what Saussure called parole or what Chomsky calls E[xternal-language, namely how language fits into the world: its social function, or its use in the broader context of human behavior.

Given these distinctions, scholars who call themselves simply linguists or theoretical linguists, with no further qualification, tend to be concerned with autonomous, theoretical synchronic linguistics, which is acknowledged as the core of the discipline.