DESCRIPTIVE LINGUISTICS

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does descriptive linguistics mean? 

• DESCRIPTIVE LINGUISTICS (noun)
  The noun DESCRIPTIVE LINGUISTICS has 1 sense:

1. a description (at a given point in time) of a language with respect to its phonology and morphology and syntax and semantics without value judgments

  Familiarity information: DESCRIPTIVE LINGUISTICS used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DESCRIPTIVE LINGUISTICS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A description (at a given point in time) of a language with respect to its phonology and morphology and syntax and semantics without value judgments

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("descriptive linguistics" is a kind of...):

linguistics (the scientific study of language)

Domain member category:

derivation ((descriptive linguistics) the process whereby new words are formed from existing words or bases by affixation)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "descriptive linguistics"):

grammar (the branch of linguistics that deals with syntax and morphology (and sometimes also deals with semantics))

phonemics; phonology (the study of the sound system of a given language and the analysis and classification of its phonemes)

morphophonemics (the study of the phonological realization of the allomorphs of the morphemes of a language)

Antonym:

prescriptive linguistics (an account of how a language should be used instead of how it is actually used; a prescription for the 'correct' phonology and morphology and syntax and semantics)