Meaning & use
linguist
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A person who studies the science of language or works with languages professionally.
Grammar: Countable; often used with 'a' or in the plural.
Patterns
- a linguist who studies something
- become a linguist
- a computational linguist
She is a linguist specializing in ancient languages.
The linguist analyzed the sentence structure.
He works as a computational linguist for a tech company.
nouncountable
A person who can speak several languages fluently; a polyglot.
Grammar: Countable; often used with 'a' or in the plural.
Patterns
- a talented linguist
- be a linguist
- a natural linguist
My aunt is a linguist who speaks five languages.
As a linguist, he can switch between French and German easily.
She's a gifted linguist and picks up new languages quickly.
Word forms
| plural | linguists |
|---|
Common combinations
- a brilliant linguist
- She is a brilliant linguist with a deep understanding of syntax.
- applied linguist
- An applied linguist might work on language teaching methods.
- forensic linguist
- The forensic linguist analyzed the ransom note.
Synonyms and how they differ
- polyglot
- Specifically means someone who knows many languages; linguist can also mean a language scientist.
- language specialist
- A broader term; linguist often implies academic training in linguistics.
Word family
- linguistics noun
- The scientific study of language.
- linguistic adjective
- Relating to language or linguistics.
Commonly confused: linguist or language?
linguist vs language
Language is the system of communication; a linguist is a person who studies it or speaks several.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'linguist' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A linguist studies language, so studying grammar fits. The other options describe unrelated activities.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “linguist”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.