As a distinct feature of the human species, language is a rule-governed symbolic system, which not only operates within the human mind but also interacts dynamically with external social or cultural factors. This course on linguistics will demonstrate the different facets of language. In the first half of the semester, lectures will be given to present the internal structure of language at different linguistic levels, including phonetics and phonology, morphology and syntax. In the second half of the semester, the course will present the complex interactions between language use and a variety of social/cultural factors.