Which term refers to scientists who study languages?

• A. Linguists
• B. Anthropologists
• C. Psycholinguists
• D. Philologists

Answer: (A)

Linguists are scientists who study languages. Linguistics is the scientific study of language—how sounds form and function, how words and sentences are built, how meaning is conveyed, and how languages vary and change over time. While anthropology, psychology, and philology touch on language in different ways, they are broader or more specialized fields. Anthropologists study humans and cultures, often including language as one aspect of culture. Psycholinguists focus on how language is processed in the mind, a specific subfield of linguistics. Philologists study historical texts and the development of languages in literary and historical contexts. The broad, dedicated term for those who study language scientifically is linguists.