Theoretical linguistics

/θiəɹˈɛtɪkəl lɪŋɡwˈɪstɪks/

/θiəɹˈɛɾɪkəl lɪŋɡwˈɪstɪks/

a subfield of linguistics that focuses on developing models, theories, and frameworks to understand the structure, organization, and underlying principles of human language