Linguistics is the scientific study of language, and as such offers students the opportunity to look at one of the tools used by human beings to create and perform cultural and social identities and practices. The field of linguistics draws on a wide area of inquiry, including the investigation of the ways that languages change over time, description of the ways in which language functions as a part of cultures, considerations of the interrelatedness of language and thought, examination of the process of language acquisition, and analysis of the functioning of the brain and the vocal organs in the production and analysis of speech. Thus, students from a wide range of majors will find the Minor in Linguistics to be an excellent complement to their chosen field of study. The purpose of the Minor in Linguistics is to introduce students to the analysis of linguistic structures through the core courses of the minor, and then to provide students with the opportunity to pursue, through a range of course options, the direction of linguistic study that best complements their chosen major.
