Linguistics, Bachelor of Arts College of Letters & Science
Linguistics is the systematic study of human language. It focuses on theories of language structure, variation, and use, description of contemporary languages, and the examination of language change through time. Because of the pervasive influence of language in our everyday lives, work in linguistics interacts in important ways with studies carried out in many other fields, including psychology, anthropology, neuroscience, philosophy, computer science, sociology, literature, language teaching, communication and education.
The Program
An introductory lower division course provides students with basic concepts and some of the methods needed to analyze language in a systematic way. Upper division courses probe more deeply into specific aspects of language structure, language use, and the relationship of language to other realms of human activity.
Career Alternatives
Majors in linguistics find practical outlets for their linguistic training in a variety of fields: the computer science industry (software development); teaching English as a second language; foreign language teaching; elementary and secondary level bilingual-bicultural programs; language-oriented missionary work; bilingual-bicultural curriculum development (e.g., for publishing houses); legal work; speech therapy; lexicography (preparation of dictionaries). All of these types of employment share an interest in persons skilled in the analysis of language, spoken and/or written. Linguistics equips students with just such skills.
Grading Recommendation
Though not required, it is recommended that all courses offered in satisfaction of the Linguistics major be taken for a letter grade.
Faculty Advisor
Contact the Department of Linguistics.
Honors & Honors Program
The honors program consists of 6 units of 194H credit normally taken in the fall and winter quarters of the senior year. Completion of the program is a prerequisite for High or Highest Honors at graduation. Specific eligibility criteria may be obtained from the major advisor. For general information regarding graduation with honors and Dean’s Honors Lists, please see Academic Information.
Graduate Study
The Department of Linguistics offers a program of study leading to M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. More detailed information may be obtained from the Graduate Advisor or from the Chairperson of the Linguistics Department.
Graduate Advisor
Contact the Department of Linguistics.
The major requirements below are in addition to meeting University Degree Requirements & College Degree Requirements; unless otherwise noted. The minimum number of units required for the Linguistics Bachelor of Arts is 48.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Preparatory Subject Matter | ||
| LIN 001 | Introduction to Linguistics | 4 |
| or LIN 001Y | Introduction to Linguistics | |
| Foreign language, one course beyond the 15-unit requirement of the College of Letters & Science in the same language used to fulfill the college requirement. | 0-20 | |
| Preparatory Subject Matter Subtotal | 4-24 | |
| Depth Subject Matter | ||
| LIN 103A | Linguistic Analysis I: Phonetics, Phonology, Morphology | 4 |
| LIN 103B | Linguistic Analysis II: Morphology, Syntax, Semantics | 4 |
| LIN 111 | Introduction to Phonological Theory | 4 |
| LIN 131 | Introduction to Syntactic Theory | 4 |
| Choose three: | 12 | |
| Introduction to Phonological Theory | ||
| Phonetics | ||
| Morphology | ||
| Text Processing & Corpus Linguistics | ||
| Introduction to Syntactic Theory | ||
| Semantics | ||
| Languages of the World | ||
| Historical Linguistics | ||
| Language Universals & Typology | ||
| Choose one: | 4 | |
| American Voices | ||
| Language, Gender, & Society | ||
| Introduction to Applied Linguistics | ||
| The Spanish Language in the United States | ||
| Choose one: | 4 | |
| Introduction to Psycholinguistics | ||
| Language Development | ||
| Biological Basis of Language | ||
| Computational Linguistics | ||
| Second Language Learning & Teaching | ||
| Multilingualism | ||
| Choose at least 8 upper division units: | 8 | |
Any LIN upper divsion course not used to fulfill area above or one of the approved courses below. | ||
| Language & Identity in Africa & the African Diaspora | ||
| The Ethnographic & Literary Imagination | ||
| Language & Culture | ||
| History & Approaches to Multilingualism in K-12 Contexts | ||
| History of the English Language | ||
| English Grammar | ||
| French Phonetics | ||
| Linguistic Study of French-Language in Context | ||
| Linguistic Study of French: Form & Meaning | ||
| History of the French Language | ||
| The Modern German Language | ||
| Cognitive Development | ||
| Japanese Linguistics | ||
| Learning Native American Languages | ||
| Philosophy of Language: Theory of Reference | ||
| Philosophy of Language: Truth & Meaning | ||
| Philosophy of Language: Semantics & Pragmatics | ||
| Contemporary Analytic Philosophy | ||
| Language & Cognition | ||
| The Structure of Spanish: Sounds & Words | ||
| The Structure of Spanish: Words & Phrases | ||
| Spanish Pronunciation | ||
| Contrastive Analysis of English & Spanish | ||
| History of the Spanish Language | ||
| History of the Spanish Language | ||
| Applied Spanish Linguistics | ||
| Teaching Spanish as a Native Tongue in the U.S.: Praxis & Theory | ||
| Topics in Spanish Linguistics | ||
| Depth Subject Matter Subtotal | 44 | |
| Total Units | 48-68 | |