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About Us
Linguistics as a discipline links the humanities with the sciences.
It interfaces with a wide variety of fields but focuses on the nature
of human language. Anyone trained in linguistics will be able to analyze
the many different languages spoken around the world. No previous
exposure to linguistics is required for students entering the major,
only an interest in the special nature of human communication. The
analysis and description of human language has been practiced for
more than two millennia, and since the beginning of this century linguists
and cognitive scientists have refined and extended their understanding
of language and its mental representation. Linguistics nowadays contributes
to the fields of education, psychology, sociology, anthropology, law,
medicine, technology, philosophy, and history.
Every year, hundreds of students in the introductory course learn
about the cognitive processes involved in communicative competence
and, as a result, gain a deeper awareness of their own linguistic
skills; many students then move on to our more advanced courses and
will experience the phonetics lab where they can practice the many
sounds of the languages of the world and also have the opportunity
to record and analyze their own speech.
Linguistics majors study the psychological and physical mechanisms
of human speech, the similarities and differences among languages,
the origins of languages and how they change, and how language is
acquired.
What We Offer:
The Linguistics major leads to a Bachelor of Arts degree. The Linguistics
program also offers an approved subject matter preparation program
for the Multiple Subject teaching credential. Students who complete
such a program are exempt from subject matter examinations when applying
for a teaching credential program. The Program in Linguistics lends
support to the teacher training programs within the School of Education.
In today's multi-ethnic and multilingual classrooms, qualified teachers
will need to show some degree of linguistic awareness; knowing what
first and second language learning consists of heightens the teacher's
empathy with the learner and assists in the elimination of prejudice
against non-standard or non-English varieties.
Career Opportunities
Linguistics graduates go on to a wide variety of careers in such fields
as speech therapy, reading or special education teacher, librarian,
and many others in which a background in language science plays an
important role. Linguistics graduates also go on to graduate or professional
schools and become lawyers, researchers, and professors.
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