Study of Language

In Culler's essay on Structuralism and Literature, he talks a lot about linguistics. This seems to be a pretty simple and basic term used in literature. The linguistics is just a starter for understanding the structuralistic view of any piece of work.
Linguistics is an application of scientific principles to the study of language that is used primarily in literary criticism.
There are several divisions:
syntax--arrangement of words
semantics--meaning of the words
morphology--study of the form of words and their smallest meaningful parts
etymology--derivation of words
and phonology--study of basic sounds

All of these are used frequently in Culler's explanation and clarification of structuralism.