Linguistics

Have you ever wondered about questions such as these?

• How do children learn their mother tongue?
• How can children learn two or three languages at the same time?
• Why is learning a second language so much harder than the first one?
• What are the best ways to help children and adults with speech and language delays or impairment?
• What is the best way to teach foreign languages?
• Is my mother right when she says the English language is deteriorating?
• How and why do languages sometimes go extinct?
• Why is Canada officially multicultural but bilingual?
• Why do Spanish and French have so many similarities?
• How many Indigenous languages are there in Canada and who speaks them?

Then linguistics is your thing!

What is linguistics?

Linguistics is the study of language and language use. Linguists study questions about language in general, but they also study the structure and use of individual languages. Understanding these things is really useful for anyone interested in doing anything that involves language – and what doesn’t?

Why study linguistics?

Linguistics is of interest to anyone who will be doing something that crucially involves language, in particular, those interested in careers in:

• Education: second language teaching, literacy education, early childhood development
• Rehabilitation fields: speech and language pathology, audiology. The minor in linguistics provides you with the necessary prerequisites in linguistics for most Master’s level Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology programs.
• Communication fields: journalism, library and information science, publishing, speech writing, public relations, advertising and social media.

What do we offer?

• Minor in Linguistics. You can take a six-course minor in linguistics as an addition to your degree program. This combines very well with majors in fields such as psychology, neuroscience, sociology, anthropology, religious studies, Indigenous studies, English, French, archaeology, kinesiology, education, health sciences, music or theatre.
• Individualized Multidisciplinary Major (IMM) in Language and Linguistics. If you would like to combine the study of a language (French, Spanish, Cree/Blackfoot, Japanese) with the study of linguistics, we can design a suitable individual program for you. If you are interested in this option, please contact the Department as soon as possible to explore your options.
• Individualized Multidisciplinary Major (IMM) in Linguistics and another field (for instance, Anthropology, Indigenous Studies, English). These are highly individualized programs for students with specific interests. If you are interested in this option, please contact the Department as soon as possible to explore your options.

In the works

• Indigenous Language Revitalization. We’re always developing new programming. In collaboration with the Department of Indigenous Studies, we soon expect to be able to offer a Concentration stream or Minor in Indigenous Language Revitalization. If you are interested in this, please keep your eyes open for any announcements or contact the Department of Indigenous Studies or the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics.