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.
The Linguistics Major and Minor are offered through the Liberal Studies Department.