The domain of modem linguistics, defined as the sclentfic study of language, has a rich and varied history spanning over two centuries. However, people have been concemed with studying language for a very long time. Linguistics is mentioned in the dialogues of Plato (300 8C) and in Roman writings. ‘Modern linguistics can trace its beginnings to the 17th and 18th centuries when European scholars began to develop the nation of grammars based on universalistic principles, the belief that all languages share common features. In modern times. this philosophy of universal principles Is best known through the work of Noam Chomsky, who has influenced an entire generation of scholars described as “generative linguists” Modern linguistics is also influenced by ancther group of scholars who were interested in recording languages that did not have writing systems. Inthe United States. two men who created the models for recording and analyzing languages In the early part of the 2ath century were Franz Boas and Edward Sapir. Their work focused on Native American languages but soon was carried to language groups around the world As the field of linguistics became more accepted as 3 discipline, other scholars from different fields began to incorporate language-related {opls into thelr werk. Linguistics found its way Into sociology, anthropology, language arts, forelgn language learning and teaching, English as 3 second language, translation and interpretation, literacy, and the development of language policy in countries around the world. ‘Today the Neld of linguistics has blossomed into an interdisciplinary sclence comprising a number of subflelds and several schools of thought. ‘Among the subfields are anthropological linguistics, applied linguistics, biological linguistics, clinical linguistics, computational linguistics, educational linguistics. ethnolinguistics, geographical linguistics, mathematical linguistics. neurolinguistics. philosophical linguistics. psycholinguistics, sociolinguistic, statistical linguistics, and theolinguistics