Are you trying to learn a new language? You might have heard that linguistics could help you with this. The short answer is that this is true to an extent, the long answer is more nuanced, which is what I'll try to express in this blog post.
I'll also explain the specific ways in which linguistics can help you learn languages more easily than if you had no knowledge of it.
Let's jump in!
What linguistics is and isn't
Linguistics is the scientific study of language. It studies how it works, how it's used, how it changes over time, and how it's processed in the brain.
Linguistics isn't learning languages, being a polyglot, or policing grammar.
If your current goal is to get better at learning a specific language, it would be an overkill to study a whole degree in Linguistics. If that's your situation, I'd suggest that you spend just a bit of time knowing about the basics of linguistics, as it can be useful, and then focus on getting fluent in your target language, by studying and getting exposed to that language in particular.
The best way I can explain it is this: It would be like studying mechanics to learn to drive, it won't make you a good driver (as in linguistics won't make you fluent in a language), but if you know at least the basics, it'll give you a framework to better understand what you're doing.
Having said this, I can personally share that after I studied Linguistics at university, I started to find it a lot easier to learn new languages. I began to see patterns more clearly whenever I was exposed to a new language, and pronunciation became easier to grasp after knowing about phonetics and my beloved IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet).
How linguistics can help you learn languages
These are the ways in which I believe some knowledge of linguistics can help you in your language learning journey.
It becomes easier to recognise patterns
When you gain some knowledge of linguistics, you find it easier to spot patterns in a new language. For example the order that words are in, the endings that verbs use, how plurals are made, if the nouns and adjectives are influenced by gender, etc.
This means that instead of coming across rules that seem random and having to memorise them, you get to recognise the patterns that you encounter so that you can apply them to different situations.
It makes grammar more predictable
Grammar is often the most dreaded part of learning a language. It can feel like a list of arbitrary rules that just makes things more complex. However, when you learn about linguistics, you begin to see that these rules are not random. They are part of larger grammatical systems, and many languages use similar types of systems, even if they look different on the surface.
Basically, when you encounter new grammar, you are often learning a new way of expressing something familiar, rather than a completely new idea.
It helps you learn pronunciation faster
Learning pronunciation in a new language can be hard because many sounds in the target language do not have direct equivalents in your native language.
This is an area where linguistics can help a lot. Instead of relying purely on imitation, phonetics (the branch of linguistics that studies speech sounds) gives you a framework for understanding how sounds are physically produced in the mouth, including the position of the tongue, the use of the vocal cords, and how air flows through the mouth or nose.
The International Phonetic Alphabet takes this further by giving every speech sound a dedicated symbol that you can reference. It essentially lets you read the pronunciation of words with far more precision than conventional spelling allows, and it works across a wide range of languages, making it especially useful when learning unfamiliar sounds.
It optimises your learning process
When you understand how language works you can make your learning process more efficient. For example, instead of trying to memorise vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation as separate sets of rules, you learn the system behind it, and everything starts making sense together.
Plus using metalanguage can help you a lot when learning a new language. Metalanguage refers to vocabulary that is used to talk about language itself, such as 'conjugation', 'register', or 'aspect'. In this way, you can get more from your textbook and teacher.
Conclusion
In essence, linguistics helps with language learning because it helps you see patterns, meaning there will be fewer things that feel confusing. Instead of memorising rules in isolation, you begin to understand the logic behind them.
You don't need a full university degree of course, just familiarising yourself with concepts like phonetics, morphology, etymology or metalanguage can give you a meaningful advantage.
