This document provides an introduction to the field of linguistics. It defines linguistics as the scientific study of language and discusses how it differs from traditional grammar in being descriptive rather than prescriptive. The document outlines the scope of linguistics, dividing it into micro- and macrolinguistics. Microlinguistics includes the study of phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and pragmatics. Macrolinguistics encompasses sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, neurolinguistics and other fields. It also discusses the usefulness of linguistics for students of language, teachers and researchers.