Mapping the Linguistic Studies and Emerging Challenges for the 21st Century: A Critical Overview (Keynote address delivered at the 46th annual conference of Linguistic Society of Nepal, 2025)
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Linguistics, as the scientific study of language, has evolved through remarkable paradigms from historical reconstruction and typological classification to cognitive, social, and computational approaches. As we step deeper into the 21st century, it becomes increasingly vital to ask: What have been the most transformative discoveries in linguistics, and how have they shaped our understanding of human communication? Equally pressing is the question: Where is the cutting edge of linguistic inquiry today, and what challenges define its future? Yet deeper questions remain to explore: Can linguistic knowledge contribute directly to human well-being? Should we value applied research more than theoretical discovery? How can linguistic knowledge contribute to social inclusion, educational equity, and cultural preservation? How can we ensure that technology serves linguistic diversity rather than diminishing it? Linguistics in the twenty-first century has undergone significant theoretical, methodological, and interdisciplinary developments, expanding its engagement with cognition, technology, education, and human communication. These advances have also raised questions concerning disciplinary integration, linguistic representation, and research responsibility. This study presents a critical narrative review of major developments and emerging challenges in linguistics, with reference to India’s intellectual traditions and multilingual context. It examines how historical scholarship, contemporary research approaches, and institutional practices shape the production of linguistic knowledge, while acknowledging challenges related to language classification, technological inequality, documentation, and methodological capacity. Building on these discussions, the study proposes linguistic humanism as an integrative orientation connecting scientific explanation, methodological rigour, linguistic inclusion, and ethical responsibility. It argues that the future of linguistics in the subcontinent depends on developing theoretically informed, empirically grounded, and socially responsive research that contributes to wider disciplinary debates while recognising the diversity of human communicative experience. By critically reviewing past achievements and emerging issues, this study invites reflection on how linguistic inquiry can balance scientific rigor with social relevance, and how the study of language can continue to illuminate human diversity and connection in the twenty-first century.
Source: Nepalese Linguistics
Author: M. J. Warsi
Institution: Aligarh Muslim University
Language: English
Subfield: Language and Linguistics
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7225347116