Linguistic Theory is concerned with the nature of language and how it is used by an ideal speaker-listener in a completely homogeneous speech-community. Theoretical linguistics is a branch of linguistics that seeks to answer fundamental questions about language, such as what language is and why languages have the properties they have. Basic Linguistic Theory is a theoretical framework and basic concepts used in grammatical description of languages and in linguistic typology.
There are various frameworks of linguistic theory which include a general theory of language and a general theory of linguistic description. Current humanistic approaches include theories within → structural linguistics and → functional linguistics. In addition to the humanistic approaches of structural linguistics and functional linguistics, the field of theoretical linguistics encompasses other frameworks and perspectives. Evolutionary linguistics is one such framework that investigates the origins and development of language from an evolutionary and cognitive perspective. It incorporates various models within generative grammar, which seeks to explain language structure through formal rules and transformations. Cognitive linguistics, on the other hand, focuses on the relationship between language and cognition, exploring how language reflects and influences our thought processes.
