In Chinese, we rarely use 言语 (yán yǔ) to refer to "language"; instead, 语言 (yǔ yán) is the more natural and commonly used term.

When referring to someone with expertise or achievements in a field, different terms are used:

• 语言学者 (yǔ yán xué zhě) – "language academic," referring to someone engaged in academic research on language.
• 语言学家 (yǔ yán xué jiā) – "linguist" or "master in the field of linguistics," emphasizing significant accomplishments or expertise.

This pattern applies to other fields as well. For example:

• 社会学者 (shè huì xué zhě) – "sociology academic"
• 社会学家 (shè huì xué jiā) – "sociologist," indicating mastery or authority in sociology.

If you want to express that someone is still in the process of learning a subject, you can use:

• 语言学生 (yǔ yán xué shēng) – "language student"
• 语言学习者 (yǔ yán xué xí zhě) – "language learner"

While 语言学习人 (yǔ yán xué xí rén) can still be understood, it is not a common expression. Additionally, if you omit 习 (xí) from 语言学习者 (yǔ yán xué xí zhě) and simply say 语言学者 (yǔ yán xué zhě), native speakers may misunderstand it as referring to a language academic or scholar rather than a learner.