Final answer:
The study of folklore, linguistics, and ethnology is encapsulated in the anthropological fields of ethnomusicology, linguistic anthropology, and ethnology. These interdisciplinary areas explore the cultural, social, and comparative aspects of human societies through the lenses of music, language, and cross-cultural analysis.
Step-by-step explanation:
The terms used to describe the study of folklore, linguistics, and ethnology fall within the broad field of anthropology, which includes ethnomusicology, linguistic anthropology, and ethnology. These disciplines provide insight into cultural practices, language development and usage, and the comparison among different cultures, all of which contribute to a better understanding of human society both in the past and present. Ethnomusicology explores the music of different cultures from anthropological perspectives, engaging with the music itself but also with the people who create and experience it. The concept was brought forth by scholars like Antonio Eximeno and further defined by scholars such as Jaap Kunst. It can be viewed as a subset of both anthropology and musicology, examining the social and cultural aspects of music-making and reception. Linguistic anthropology delves into the relationship between language and culture, seeking to understand how communication contributes to the formation of social groups and cultural practices. Linguistic anthropologists may study everything from the evolution of language to the role language plays in societal power dynamics. Focus areas include sociolinguistics, which examines the social contexts that influence language usage, and the study of language as a part of the broader cultural setting. Ethnology is a comparative discipline within anthropology that looks at the interconnectedness of different cultures. It increasingly involves the cross-cultural comparison and study of Indigenous societies, with attention being given to the value of oral histories and how early societies related to each other through aspects such as migration patterns and shared cultural elements. Ethnology, as part of the four main fields of anthropology, contributes to a holistic understanding of the human experience.