prelinguistics (n.)

A term used by some linguists, especially in the 1950s, to refer to the ARTICULATORY and ACOUSTIC study of sound, as opposed to the strictly LINGUISTIC studies of PHONOLOGY, etc. (MICROLINGUISTICS). In this frame of reference, it was seen as a branch of MACROLINGUISTICS. The term prelinguistic is sometimes used outside this framework to refer to any construct which needs to be taken into account as a preliminary consideration before linguistic analysis proceeds, e.g. the obtaining of adequate DATA samples.