Sprachelehre

Sprachlehre is a term in German that denotes the systematic study of language, its structure, rules, and use. In common usage it can refer to the grammar of a language or, more broadly, to the scientific discipline of linguistics (Sprachwissenschaft). As a field, Sprachlehre distinguishes between descriptive approaches, which document how language is actually used, and normative or prescriptive approaches, which prescribe correct usage according to a standard variety.

The scope of Sprachlehre includes several subfields: Phonetik and Phonologie (the sounds of language and their systematic organization); Morphologie (the forms of words and how they are built from morphemes); Syntax (the arrangement of words into phrases and sentences); Semantik (meaning); Pragmatik (language use in context). Lexikologie and Lexikografie deal with vocabulary and its structure, while Sociolinguistik, Psycholinguistik and Neurolinguistik address language in social, cognitive, and brain contexts.

In education, Sprachlehre is closely related to grammar teaching and the development of language skills, often distinguishing between descriptive linguistic theory and prescriptive grammar used in teaching materials. In research, Sprachlehre provides theoretical models and methodologies for analyzing language, using methods ranging from field descriptions to corpus linguistics and formal grammar frameworks.

Historisch gesehen entwickelte sich Sprachlehre aus der Philologie und der Sprachphilosophie in den Jahrhunderten vor dem 20. Jahrhundert und nahm im 20. Jahrhundert unterschiedliche theoretische Richtungen auf, die die moderne Linguistik prägen.