Linguistics

Linguistics is the scientific study of language. In the Linguistics Program at Emory, you'll examine everything from sentence structure to sounds to the nuanced meanings of words.

Our interdisciplinary approach allows you to explore a wide range of languages—even computer languages—to understand how language is acquired; how it evolves; and the impact of physiological, cognitive, societal, and cultural differences on communication.

Outcomes

Because language and communication is critical to every endeavor, the study of linguistics provides a foundation that is helpful for any career path. You’ll find linguists working in every sector, from academic and governmental to corporate and nonprofit. And they frequently go into specialized areas such as finance, healthcare, science, and law.

Recent graduates work at TransPerfect Translations, Greenberg Taurig, Myrick Marketing, Lutheran Services of Georgia, PwC China, Impact America, and Hillel International.

They have also gone on to pursue advanced degrees at such prestigious institutions as the University of California –Santa Barbara, Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions, University of St. Andrews, University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Georgia.

18%

Job growth predicted for Interpreters and Translators from 2016-2026

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Examples of Classes at Oxford

Foundations of Linguistics

This introductory course explores the primary parts of language and why and how humans learn languages. Students will consider and discuss how gestures and our physical bodies affect how we speak, how so many different languages in the world come about, and whether or not there is anything universal about human speech, and how our own language affects the way others perceive us in the world.

The English Language

This course on the English language concentrates on its structure and use, analyzing the major components of the English language: content and function words. Also studied are the most sophisticated structures that make up the language. As a descriptive grammar class, language of the real world is considered in the class, with analyses of real language production.

Second Language Acquisition

Compare differences and similarities in acquiring a first language to those of learning a second or additional language. Examine linguistic stereotypes and discover how they are an oversimplification of a very complex process involving our brain, our mind, our body, our beliefs, our motivations, our friends, our families, our environments, our prior knowledge, and even our governments.

Example of Major Classes

Topics in Sociolinguistic

In this overview course, you’ll explore how language changes due to social, geographic, historic, and situational variables.

Language Acquisition

Understanding how we acquire language is crucial to understanding human behavior. In this course, which raises issues in both linguistics and psychology, you’ll examine how our brains are organized to process information and how language affects socialization, communication, and culture.

Language, Mind & Society

Is language a product of how the mind works or of social interaction? In this course, you’ll use these two opposing views as context for examining the structure and limitations of language.

Research in Linguistics

Exploring little-known languages

There are only around 600,000 people who speak the Lulogooli language. Students in Field Methods in Linguistics class designed and conducted research to bring light to the mechanisms of this understudied language. Julie Wechsler 21C, psychology and linguistics major, received a Conference Grant to present their findings at the national Conference on Undergraduate Research.

What happens in language is a complicated dynamic between the word, the listener, and the speaker.
Karen Stolley
Spanish professor

Visit the Program in Linguistics