Student Work
Signe Rod, a junior linguistics major, has been impressed with the approachability of the linguistics faculty members. She says that “faculty members often talk about the research they’ve done and relate it to what you’re studying. They have lots of amzing stories and insights.”
One of the highlights for Signe has been participating in the human subjects pool, where she learned to gather data herself. She has also taken classes on humor and language, social linguistics, and the effects of brain damage on language production.
Sophomore Trish Bronte is majoring in Linguistics and German. "I really like languages," she says. "I've taken German, French, Spanish and a little bit of Japanese. I like the fact that Linguistics is all-encompassing. You learn about languages you may not have even heard of."
Trish is particularly interested in how languages influence culture and vice versa.
For her honors thesis, Trish plans to integrate her German and Lingustics studies. She is interested in second language acquisition, specifically how German children learn English. She plans to spend her junior year abroad where she will begin her research.
Trish has found the Linguistics faculty extremely supportive. "They are so wonderful. They do a really good job making you feel you can meet with them at any time. They're really open and helpful."
Eventually, Trish wants to be a German professor. "I think studying Linguistics will give me an edge," she says. "It gives me a perspective that goes beyond literature and vocabulary. Linguistics is about how people talk, not what's in the rule book.”
Selected Faculty Work
Professor Scott DeLancey studies phonology, syntax, semantics, and historical syntax in Amerindian, Sino-Tibetan, and Southeast Asian languages. DeLancey is also the director for the Northwest Indigenous Language Institute.
Associate Professor Spike Gildea is the linguistics department head. He focuses on language description, syntax, typology, phonology, comparative linguistics, field methods, ethics, and ethno-biology for Cariban and other South American languages.
Assistant Professor Susan Guion specializes in second language acquisition, phonetics, and historical linguistics. She teaches Issues in Second Language; English, Phonetics, and Phonology; Linguistic Principles and Second Language Learning; and Historical and Comparative Linguistics.
Professor Doris L. Payne’s research interests include morphology, syntax, semantics, discourse pragmatics, psycho-linguistics, language typology, language development, Latin American and African Studies, and Amer-Indian and African languages.
Assistant Professor Eric Pederson is an expert in psycho-linguistics, cognitive linguistics, language and culture, and Dravidian and Indian languages.
Career Prospects
Because language is central to many aspects of life, a degree in linguistics can be applied to many occupations. You might become a teacher, or apply your knowledge and skills to social work, speech therapy, translation, counseling, or journalism. Perhaps you’ll build on your knowledge of linguistics with continuing education that could lead to careers in law, psychology, or computer science.