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Linguistics

Discover the Power of Language

Equipped with excellent analytical skills, graduates in Linguistics enter careers that require in-depth understanding of how language works, and how it can best be utilized. Linguists pursue many careers and are needed in a broad range of professional areas, including software engineering and Artificial Intelligence, interpretation and translation, data analytics, technical writing, law, teaching English as a second language, bilingual and foreign language teaching, speech-language therapy, advertising, and international diplomacy.

What is Linguistics?

Linguistics is the scientific study of language from its origins to how people use it today in various communication contexts. Linguists investigate the properties of language in all of its forms (spoken, written, signed, programmed), and describe how language is used wherever, whenever, and however it is practiced.

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Career Prospects and Placement

10 years out or less, graduates indicate job titles such as Assistant Language Teacher, Associate Analyst, Experience Designer, Global Data Analyst, Human Resources Generalist, Instructional Technologist, Linguistic Analyst, Marketing Director, Software Engineer, Stewardship Operations Specialist, Technical Writer, and Young Adult Librarian.

Employers include Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cintas, Duolingo, Elsevier, Epic, HH Global, Indiana University, JP Morgan Chase & Co, OhioHealth, Sinclair Community College, UPMC Health Plan, and Workhuman.

Many students go on to earn graduate degrees in Linguistics or related fields, including French, Germanic Languages, Law, Library Science, Security Informatics, Sociology, and TESOL.

Linguistics majors study various aspects of the formal structure of language, including:

  • phonetics - the study of speech sounds
  • phonology - the patterning of sounds
  • morphology - the structure of words
  • syntax - the structure of sentences
  • semantics - meaning in language
  • pragmatics - language in its social context

The Linguistics program emphasizes interdisciplinary study and analysis, offering courses in formal linguistics, sociolinguistics, and computational linguistics. A major in Linguistics can easily be combined with majors or minors such as Anthropology, Computer Science, English, Foreign Languages, Mathematics, Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology, and Speech Pathology, among others.

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Curriculum: Interdisciplinary and Interdepartmental

The 36-credit hour major requires a core of five courses, a track of specialization, and a set of three electives.
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Three tracks of specialization are offered.

  • Applied Linguistics
  • Foreign Languages and Linguistics
  • Sociocultural Linguistics
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The program's interdisciplinary focus allows students to pick courses that match their academic pursuits and professional interests.

Areas covered by the program include:
  • American Dialects, Culture, and Identity
  • Articulation and Communication Disorders
  • Computational Methods, Programming, and AI
  • Foreign Languages and Cultures
  • Historical Linguistics
  • Language Development
  • Linguistic Anthropology and Ethnography
  • Native North American Cultures and Languages
  • Psychology of Language and Cognition

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I declare a Linguistics major or minor?

Contact the English Department and request to be added via email (English@MiamiOH.edu) or phone (513-529-5221), or visit us in person in 134 Harris Hall.

What are the requirements of the Linguistics minor?

The Linguistics minor is a very flexible program that works for majors across the university.

What research projects do Linguistics majors do?

The Center for Neuroscience and Behavior, the Myaamia Center, and the English Language Learner Writing Center offer opportunities for hands-on research and professional development.

What is the Linguistics Award?

The Linguistics Award recognizes outstanding student work completed in a Linguistics course. The award is given every spring. Recently recognized project titles include:

A Linguistic Approach to the Reading Wars”

“Exploring Linguistics Challenges in Autistic Individuals”

“NBA 2K: The ‘Sport’ of Speech Acts in eSports”

Our Faculty

Linguistics