The different specializations of humanity, regardless of interest and function, will always need language literacy and the understanding of its discipline. This is the understanding that Micro and Macro Linguistics offer. This is also better understood if we break the ambiguity against other language divisions before analyzing the implications of this specific language category.
The fourth division of Linguistics, Micro and Macro Linguistics, provide us a rough overview of the numerous fields that language can cover, from the core to its extended fields of knowledge. Some would mistake the fourth division as the same division with the third: Theoretical and Applied Linguistics. This is because all the other branches of Linguistics are divided in the same way except for one: Pragmatics.
To clarify, the third division focuses on the use of theories and application. In that sense, Pragmatics is part of Applied Linguistics since it is anchored on the use of language in a particular context. On the other hand, the fourth division focuses on the core or the Micro Linguistics, while the rest are extended fields of specialization, the Macro Linguistics. In that sense, Pragmatics is part of the core that establishes the linguistic foundations of a language learner in order to exhibit capacity to take the language to a specialized field. Understanding this distinction of the fourth division against other divisions can help us understand better the process of language acquisition and learning from the basics to the advanced.
The fourth division is comparable to a tree where Micro Linguistics are the roots and trunk while Macro Linguistics are the branches and leaves. The branches and leaves will not survive without the roots and trunk. It is their source of life. Even if the fruits of language innovation and research are borne by the branches, it is only a result of the proper nourishment of the core linguistic disciplines. Thus, the relationship of the Micro and Macro Linguistics is an important concept not only in language acquisition and learning, but also in language development and research.
From such understanding of the fourth division, we can argue that Micro Linguistics plays a major role in our linguistic competence. All these branches are non-negotiable. We need to master all branches in order to facilitate expertise in language. Phonology, Phonetics, Morphology, Syntax, Semantics, and Pragmatics are the standards of linguistic knowledge that any linguist should gain deeper understanding before one can take his/her expertise in a specialized field such as Psycholinguistics, Comparative Linguistics, Historical Linguistics, etc. Without the mastery of the Micro Linguistic concepts, the specialized field will not bear innovations and research for language development in a particular field of expertise.
To illustrate better the concept of Micro and Macro Linguistics, take the implications of Linguistics language development - from language acquisition to language learning. The core begins with sound articulation (Phonetics), then the study of the system of sounds (Phonology). This is why language learners should be guided in acquiring the necessary skills to master the sounds before taking it to the next level which is word formation. In word formation (Morphology), language learners get to deconstruct the system of sounds and rebuild it into combinations. They get a background on the patterns that the words use in order to produce meaning. Meaning-making is therefore begins in this phase. From the basics of meaning-making in Morphology, the language learner goes back to structure. This time, it will be the structure of phrases, clauses, and sentences (Syntax), how they are combined in order to satisfy a particular language system. Once the structure is established, meaning-making follows once more(Semantics). Taking meaning-making to a higher level, context is included in the study of language (Pragmatics). All these branches of Linguistics, the Micro Linguistics help language learners acquire the necessary concepts and skills to be linguistically competent. This can also help learners see language as a system that is not definite, and only covers the recurrences of a language system.
Once a learner masters the language based on the core, it is time to take the mastery to higher cause - develop and study languages in the specialized field. This is where Macro Linguistics takes over. This is where language mastery facilitates research and further studies of the language of the field, whether that is in Medicine, Law, Business, etc. The mastery of a language in the Micro Linguistic level equips language learners to take on any career path that they can change through breakthroughs and further studies in the language of the field. The Macro Linguistic level reaps the results of the foundation of the Micro level, thus opening avenues for the exhibition of such linguistic competence for the benefit of the Macro Linguistics.
Understanding this concept of Micro and Macro Linguistics will help us target the right skills in language learning, and set the appropriate goals towards linguistic competence. Teaching language should no longer be a mere academic requirement, but a means to a society’s preservation through knowledge and continuous progress. Language is the tool that we use in all fields, and language learners should be the facilitators of research and development. This concept of the Micro and Macro Linguistics can also help language teachers determine the effective strategies to nourish the core linguistic skills. They will know the approach that better language learning should adopt. This will help them take the perspective of developing language learners not just for the sake of it, rather, for the betterment of the society. Indeed, language is a means to an end.
The Micro and Macro Linguistics division gives us the real scope of language and its role in society, not only for experience and culture, but also for innovation, continuous progress and further development to understand the world in the context of linguists.
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