Linguistics is generally defined as the s（）study of language.

Langue refers to the a（）linguistic system shared by all the members of a speech community while the parole is the concrete use of the conventions and application of the rules.

Pragmatics is different from semantics in that pragmatics studies meaning not in isolation, but in context.

Sociolinguistics is the study of language in relation to society.

General linguistics is generally the study of language as a whole.

Modern linguistics regards the written language as primary, not the written language.

A diachronic study of language is the description of language at some point in time.

The distinction between competence and performance was proposed by F. de Saussure.

Phonology

Language is p（）in that it makes possible the construction and interpretation of new signals by its users. In other words, they can produce and understand an infinitely large number of sentences which they have never heard before.