Director: Professor Michael Flynn

Linguistics is the study of the remarkable human capacity to learn and use language.

Can I major in it? Students may petition for a special major. The department also offers a joint major with several other departments (also by petition).

Topics explored: The nature of the systems of mental representation, how these representations arise, what they mean, how they are externalized in sound and gesture, and how languages are put to use in social and literary contexts.

How to get started: Good beginning courses include LING 110: Introduction to Linguistic Theory, LING 115: Introduction to the Theory of Syntax and LING 180: The Structure of Japanese.