philology
Historical language study
Philology is the study of language through written texts, especially historical and comparative analysis of how languages develop and relate to one another.
The term once covered what we now call linguistics, literary criticism, and textual scholarship together.
A philologist might reconstruct ancient languages, trace word origins, or establish authentic versions of old manuscripts.
The discipline flourished in the nineteenth century but has largely been absorbed into more specialized fields.
Study of structural forms
- phonologyScience of language sounds
- semanticsStudy of linguistic meaning
- syntaxRules for arranging words
- grammarLanguage's structural rules
dialectology · lexicography · language change · inflection · declension · conjugation · orthography · vocalization
Original text before publication
- papyrusAncient plant-derived writing material
- cuneiformStylus-impressed ancient script
- hieroglyphicsSymbolic picture-based writing
- SanskritAncient Indo-Aryan language
Vedas · Homeric · Gilgamesh · Greek · Latin · parchment · scrolls · Sumerian
Handwritten or typed originals
- codicesBound handwritten volumes
- papyriAncient Egyptian writing material
- palimpsestsManuscripts with erased underlayers
- scrollsRolled written records
folios · vellum · transcription · glosses · annotations · paleography · collation · redaction
Study of interpretation methods
- exegesisCritical textual interpretation
- interpretationAssigned meaning
- close readingDetailed textual analysis
- authorshipOrigin of written work
canon · commentary · annotation · critique · stylistics · rhetoric · poetics · narrative
Underground absorbing structure
- originStarting point or source
- cognateWord sharing etymological origin
- proto-languageReconstructed common ancestor tongue
- derivationSource or origin tracing
borrowing · loanword · etymon · reconstruction · diachronic · word history · Indo-European · language family
Relating to education or theory
- researchSystematic fact-finding effort
- humanitiesStudy of culture
- comparativeInvolving measured contrast
- historicalOf documented times
criticism · bibliography · university · dissertation · seminar · erudition · classical studies · learned
morphology
Study of structural forms
- phonologyScience of language sounds
- semanticsStudy of linguistic meaning
- syntaxRules for arranging words
grammar · dialectology · lexicography · language change · inflection · declension · conjugation · orthography · vocalization · linguistic analysis
manuscript
Original text before publication
- papyrusAncient plant-derived writing material
- cuneiformStylus-impressed ancient script
- hieroglyphicsSymbolic picture-based writing
Sanskrit · Vedas · Homeric · Gilgamesh · Greek · Latin · parchment · scrolls · Sumerian · Akkadian
manuscripts
Handwritten or typed originals
- codicesBound handwritten volumes
- papyriAncient Egyptian writing material
- palimpsestsManuscripts with erased underlayers
scrolls · folios · vellum · transcription · glosses · annotations · paleography · collation · redaction · recension
hermeneutics
Study of interpretation methods
- exegesisCritical textual interpretation
- interpretationAssigned meaning
- close readingDetailed textual analysis
authorship · canon · commentary · annotation · critique · stylistics · rhetoric · poetics · narrative · genre
root
Underground absorbing structure
- originStarting point or source
- cognateWord sharing etymological origin
- proto-languageReconstructed common ancestor tongue
derivation · borrowing · loanword · etymon · reconstruction · diachronic · word history · Indo-European · language family · word origin
academic
Relating to education or theory
- researchSystematic fact-finding effort
- humanitiesStudy of culture
- comparativeInvolving measured contrast
historical · criticism · bibliography · university · dissertation · seminar · erudition · classical studies · learned · monograph
- academic fieldsmathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, history
- disciplinesbiology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, psychology
- humanitiesphilosophy, history, literature, philosophy class, novels
- interpretationinterpretive dance, translation, interpreting, translating, construing
- English StudiesEnglish literature, British literature, American literature, literary theory, literary history
- etymologyword origins, word history, word origin, etymon, root words
philologydialectology
Study of regional speech differences
phonetics · spoken language · oral tradition · colloquial language · living languages