The course covers a selection of important topics in theoretical linguistics with some rudiments of applied linguistics. In the sections focusing on the theoretical aspects of language, we consider sounds, how they are made and their functions (phonetics and phonology); we consider words, how they are constructed from smaller elements (morphology); and we consider sentences (syntax) and word and sentence meaning (semantics); finally, we consider the ways in which context contributes to meaning (pragmatics). Placing the study of language in a broader context, we consider language production, comprehension and acquisition (psycholinguistics), and the relations between language and society (sociolinguistics).