Language is the medium by which every fact, opinion, or belief is conveyed. Each language is a unique system for communicating such information.

Linguistics is the systematic study of language systems and how they work. It presupposes both an interest in language generally and a solid command of other languages, especially those greatly different from one's own.

The Linguistics concentration offers a broad exposure to the various areas of linguistics (including historical, descriptive, theoretical, and applied linguistics) along with an opportunity to study fields where linguistics overlaps with other disciplines such as psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, speech pathology and the like. It is designed to prepare a student for graduate work in linguistics or related areas, or to serve as an enrichment to the study of a particular language. It provides the additional possibility of emphasizing the teaching of English as a second language for the student interested in employment at the B.A. level.

Graduates of our program are well prepared to pursue advanced study in linguistics. Graduates of our program have entered a variety of language-related and applied professional fields (translation, audiology, speech pathology, and language teaching), as well as linguistics itself as an academic discipline.