1. Linguistics is the systematic study of the structure of language and the way it is used.

Researching the structure of language involves several areas. Phonetics and Phonology focuses on the
sounds of human languages and the ways they pattern in particular languages, including global sound
patterns that make up the prosody and intonation of different languages. Morphology examines the
internal structure of words, and Syntax is concerned with describing and accounting for the way words
are grouped into larger structures like sentences.

Sociolinguistics researches the uses of language. It examines the relationship between language, its
users, and its uses. At Victoria University of Wellington this research extends to the study of New
Zealand English.

Studying language use also involves Discourse Analysis which focuses on extended written and spoken
texts to identify how language is used to convey social meaning. Research into the cognitive implications
of the analysis of language structure, learning and use are the concern of Psycholinguistics.

2. Background information expands upon the key points stated in your introduction but is not the
main focus of the paper. Sufficient background information helps your reader determine if you have a
basic understanding of the research problem being investigated and promotes confidence in the overall
quality of your analysis and findings.

Background information provides the reader with the essential context needed to understand the
research problem. Depending on the topic being studied, forms of contextualization may include:

 Cultural -- the issue placed within the learned behavior of specific groups of people.
 Economic -- of or relating to systems of production and management of material wealth and/or
business activities.
 Historical -- the time in which something takes place or was created and how that influences how
you interpret it.
 Philosophical -- clarification of the essential nature of being or of phenomena as it relates to the
research problem.
 Physical/Spatial -- reflects the space around something and how that influences how you see it.
 Political -- concerns the environment in which something is produced indicating it's public purpose
or agenda.
 Social -- the environment of people that surrounds something's creation or intended audience,
reflecting how the people around something use and interpret it.
 Temporal -- reflects issues or events of, relating to, or limited by time.

Background information can also include summaries of important, relevant research studies. The key is
to summarize for the reader what is known about the specific research problem before you conducted your
analysis. This is accomplished with a general review of the foundational research literature (with citations) that
report findings that inform your study's aims and objectives.
Quantitative methods emphasise on objective measurements and numerical analysis of data collected
through polls, questionnaires or surveys. Quantitative research focuses on gathering numerical data and
generalizing it across groups of people.

 Study population and sampling -- where did the data come from; how robust is it; note where gaps
exist or what was excluded. Note the procedures used for their selection;
 Data collection – describe the tools and methods used to collect information and identify the
variables being measured; Describe the methods used to obtain the data; Note if the data was pre-
existing [i.e., government data] or you gathered it yourself. If you gathered it, describe what type of
instrument you used and why. Note that no data set is perfect--describe any limitations in
methodology.
 Data analysis -- describe the procedures for processing and analyzing the data. If appropriate,
describe the specific instruments of analysis used to study each research objective.

5. Synchronic linguistics aims at describing a language at a specific point of time, usually the present. By
contrast, a diachronic approach (from δια- “through” and χρόνος “time”) considers the development
and evolution of a language through history. Historical linguistics is typically a diachronic study.