Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics

University of Delaware

Think linguists just speak lots of languages Think again. Linguists are scientists who study language. Language is one of the most complex cognitive tasks that humans engage in, yet it is used effortlessly and subconsciously and is acquired by infants with no formal instruction. How can you effortlessly speak and understand without even being aware of what you are doing As a student of linguistics, you will explore the answers to this question and many others. As a student of linguistics, you will learn the formal properties of language: sound systems, how words and sentences are put together and how meaning is computed from the parts. You will explore the diversity of languages across the globe and learn about their historical development (for example, did you know that English and Sanskrit are descended from a single language spoken 6,000 years ago in Asia). You will also explore how infants acquire language, how language is represented in the brain and used in real time and how language is used in social contexts.

College of Arts and Sciences