Qu’est-ce que la linguistique ?

This work aims at explaining as simply as possible the kinds of concerns that the field of research commonly known as linguistics, and more specifically synchronic linguistics, is trying to address. We will examine the various theories that have been proposed until recently, as well as the concepts that have been or are still used to support these theories—such as the notions of phonology, syntax, lexicon, semantics and pragmatics, which are very much in evidence in current research. In this regard, we will briefly discuss some of the methodological and epistemological problems that arise when applying these theories.