Macro-linguistics and micro-linguistics are both fields of study of linguistics that focus on language and its form and meaning and the changes that occur to that form and meaning due to other factors; macro-linguistics examines language on a macro level, or from a more general perspective, while micro-linguistics examines language on a micro level, or in a more specific and particular way.

Macro-linguistics analyzes language beyond its most basic functions and context—it focuses on the social, cultural psychological, and neurological factors and how they're connected to the language and its structure. Thus, there are several subcategories of macro-linguistics, such as sociolinguistics (language and society), psycholinguistics (language and psychology), neurolinguistics (language and neurology), computational linguistics (language and IT), and others.

Unlike macro-linguistics, micro-linguistics studies language and its properties, structure, and functions specifically; thus, syntax (the structure of sentences), morphology (the structure of words), phonology (the study of sounds and speech), semantics (the meaning of words and phrases), and others are all subcategories of micro-linguistics.

In conclusion, macro-linguistics studies language and the influences on language in general, while micro-linguistics studies language and all of its properties, elements, and concepts in greater detail. Some argue that macro-linguistics focuses more on society and the way it influences language, while micro-linguistics focuses more on language itself and its elements.

Both macro-linguistics and micro-linguistics involve the study of language. Examining the prefixes of these words is our first clue in differentiating them. Macro typically means large, and micro means small. On a basic level, macro-linguistics is the study of large changes and influences upon languages. Micro-linguistics is the study of the small ways a language is structured.

Macro-linguistics is the study of broad influences on language. This study might include psycholinguistics and examine the ways language is acquired. It might also include a study of sociolinguistics, or how societies and cultures influence language. Macro-linguists might study neurolinguistics, or how language is stored and retrieved in the brain. Questions that macro-linguistics might seek to answer include the following:

• How does language evolve over time?
• How do young children store new vocabulary for later retrieval?
• How does one's culture influence use of language?
• How can stroke patients be taught to create new pathways for retrieval of language skills that they have lost?

Micro-linguistics is the study of how a language is a system with a structured set of rules. Micro-linguists might study phonology, or how speech sounds are arranged to convey appropriate meaning. They might also study morphology, or how words are formed and how they relate to other, similar words. In micro-linguistics, you might study the syntax of a language, or how words are arranged to create sentences. Micro-linguistics might seek answers for questions like these:

• How are past tense verbs typically formed in a language?
• Do adjectives follow nouns, or do they precede them?
• How many different vowel sounds does a language contain?
• How are consonant blends formed—or does the language have any blends?

Studies in both macro-linguistics and micro-linguistics are important for those who seek to teach others about acquiring new language skills.

Linguistics is the study of language and its many manifestations. It is a large field of study that scholars often split into two major categories: macro-linguistics and micro-linguistics.

Macro-linguistics looks outward and takes a broad view of linguistic phenomena, focusing on the circumstances of language development and the contexts in which language is used. Linguists who concentrate on macro-linguistics may study the history of language and its development over time; compare different historical or contemporary languages and their literature; look at language from a sociological perspective to see how it is used in various societies (including multilingualism, conversation, speech acts, and language planning); examine the psychology of language and how people learn language; study the cognitive elements of language (how people think in linguistic structures); practice discourse analysis (how portions of language fit together to convey meaning); or use computer programs to develop everything from speech recognition systems to text editors to language instruction materials.

Micro-linguistics, on the other hand, looks inward and focuses on the details of language itself. Linguists who practice micro-linguistics might study phonology (the study of sounds); phonetics (the sound systems of a language); morphology (the grammatical structures of a language); syntax (how words are put together in phrases and sentences); semantics (the meanings of words); and/or pragmatics (the social use of language).

Linguistics can be categorized into micro-linguistics and macro-linguistics. Micro-linguistics is an in-depth view of language and its structure. Micro-linguistics does not focus on how a language affects society but centers on its structure by analyzing elements such as phonetics, syntax, and morphology. Therefore, micro-linguistics looks at various aspects of a particular language and does not give a broad view of how it is acquired or used. On the other hand, macro-linguistics views language from a broader perspective. It relates language to society and connects it to different types of sciences. For instance, macro-linguistics looks at the significance of language in social systems. It examines the application of language in daily life. Macro-linguistics focuses on aspects like language geography, biolinguistics, and psycholinguistics.

Linguistics is simply the study of language. The prefix micro refers to small, and macro refers to large. Microlinguistics refers to how small changes in language evolved and affect the sound and look of language. For example: there, they're, and their all sound the same but have small changes in the way they are spelled. Microlinguistics also looks at the way words sound (phonetics), the organization of those sounds (phonology), and how words are formed (morphology) to name a few. Microlinguistics is often not interested in the meaning of words as much as the way the word sounds or is formed and is often represented at the individual level. 

On the other hand, macrolinguistics refers to how language and society interact, specifically how social factors can influence the use of language in the larger society. Macrolinguistics often compares languages across counties or cultures, the change of language overtime, or other large outside societal influences.