What are the 7 language levels?
The 7 Language Levels
In linguistics, language is often analyzed at different levels, each focusing on a different aspect of how language works. Here are the seven commonly recognized language levels:
- Phonetics: The study of the physical sounds of human speech—how they are produced, transmitted, and received.
- Phonology: The study of how sounds function within a particular language or languages, including the rules for their combination and pronunciation.
- Morphology: The study of the structure and formation of words, including prefixes, suffixes, roots, and how words change form to express different meanings.
- Syntax: The study of sentence structure and the rules that govern the way words combine to form phrases and sentences.
- Semantics: The study of meaning in language—how words, phrases, and sentences convey meaning.
- Pragmatics: The study of how context influences the way language is interpreted, including things like tone, register, and situational appropriateness.
- Discourse: The study of larger units of language, such as conversations, speeches, or written texts, and how language is used to communicate in context over extended stretches.
Understanding these levels helps linguists, language teachers, and learners analyze and describe language in a systematic way.