College Life

Private Schools That Are Well Known for This Major

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Stanford University
• Cornell University
• University of Pennsylvania
• University of Chicago

State Schools That Are Well Known for This Major

• University of Michigan—Ann Arbor
• University of California—Santa Cruz
• Rutgers University
• University of Maryland—College Park
• University of Texas—Austin

Classes in the Major

Semantics. These classes involve meaning and truth values. Here, you'll analyze all types of utterances, like, "Shmoop has stopped wearing deodorant." If you think about it, this sentence tells you two things. The first is the obvious surface meaning, and the other is that Shmoop has worn deodorant before. (And that we probably shouldn't wear tank tops.) It sounds like an obvious conclusion to draw, but it's important to start thinking in these terms. Semantics also involves a lot of logic and philosophy, Grice's Maxims of Conversation, as well as Boolean semantics, which is used in computer programming language. The best part about semantics is that, as a native speaker of X language, you're probably already an expert on a lot of these concepts.

Phonetics and/or Phonology. These classes involve speech sounds and patterns. In a typical "p-side" course, you'll study the human vocal anatomy and how certain speech sounds are produced, as well as sound patterns. Phonology is really enlightening, and you'll probably have a few existential crises when you really get into it. Seriously. You'll learn how to explain why native Spanish speakers have trouble pronouncing consonant clusters, or why native English speakers suck at pronouncing short vowels in other languages.

Syntax. Almost every subfield of linguistics requires a solid understanding of syntax and the general structure of language. Syntax is also involved in computer programming language, which is why a lot of linguistics majors go into computer science. In a typical syntax course, you'll learn all about the sentence—its components and subcomponents (clauses, morphemes), and how they fit together and "move around." It can get really abstract. Depending on how syntax-focused your college's linguistics department is, you may have to go through syntax boot camp or take some crosslinguistic syntax classes. Fair warning: Beware of Turkish, which has stackable word-sentences. That's right, word-sentences.

Sociolinguistics. Stick "socio-" in front of "linguistics," and you've got the study of language and how it relates to society. You might go over why the word "ain't" gets so much hate and all the language utopias that are not the U.S. Bilingualism, diaspora, and language education are also a big deal, especially with how they pertain to immigrants. Specific sociolinguistics classes generally focus on a certain culture, geographical area, or demographic, so there's a lot to choose from here. Also, it turns out, dinosaurs aren't the only things that have gone extinct; you'll learn all about the tragedy of language death and how to prevent it. 

Foreign Language. Some linguistics programs have a computer science, sociology, or psychology requirement, but nearly all of them have a foreign language one. Knowing at least a little about a foreign language will give you more insight into language in general. It'll be a great help in understanding concepts that aren't present in your native language. Like, who knew that Spanish doesn't always put subjects first, like English does? It might help to pick a language that you want to do research in. Don't worry, though—if you want to study a language that only has twenty-three native speakers left, you still can.