MATHEMATICAL LINGUISTICS is the study of mathematical structures
and methods that are of importance to linguistics. As in other branches
of applied mathematics, the influence of the empirical subject matter is somewhat
indirect: theorems are often proved more for their inherent mathematical
value than for their applicability. Nevertheless, the internal organization
of linguistics remains the best guide for understanding the internal subdivisions
of mathematical linguistics, and we will survey the field following the
traditional division of linguistics into → Phonetics, → Phonology, → Morphology,
→ Syntax, and → Semantics, looking at other branches of linguistics
such as → Sociolinguistics or → Language Acquisition only to the extent that
these have developed their own mathematical methods.
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