What Linguistics Is and What Linguists Do...
Linguistics is the scientific study of language. We seek to understand the structure of language, how it is learned, how it changes over time, how it interacts with the world, how it is represented in the mind, and how humans produce and understand language.
Our work informs a wide variety of human concerns: education (foreign-language teaching, the way to approach standard and non-standard languages in the classroom), technology (speech recognition, artificial intelligence), health care (diagnosis and treatment of language disorders), language's place in a diverse society (the role of multilingualism, protections for endangered and minority dialects and languages), and the legal system (interpreting legal language and the significance of linguistic evidence).
Humanities Radio
For more information, we encourage you to listen to Episode 2 of the Humanities podcast, where Aaron Kaplan, Assistant Professor of Linguistics, answers all of these questions.
Mission Statement
The Department of Linguistics at the University of Utah is committed to advancing the understanding of human language in the service of local, national, and global communities.
We accomplish this by:
- conducting cutting-edge research on language structure, acquisition, and processing
- preparing students to achieve personal and professional goals equipped with the knowledge and skills developed through the study of linguistics.
Our Specializations and Interests
In the Department of Linguistics at the University of Utah, our faculty specialize in:
- theoretical syntax and semantics
- theoretical phonology
- second language acquisition
- second language phonology
Our faculty also have interests in historical linguistics, psycholinguistics, and sociolinguistics. We offer undergraduate, MA, and PhD degrees, as well as a computational linguistics certificate and a TESOL certificate.
About the Department
Linguistics provides the intellectual satisfaction of learning how human language works, while at the same time developing the analytical skills necessary to be highly competitive on the job market. Students in linguistics learn how to analyze languages and develop crucial skills for today’s job market: reasoning, critical thinking, rigorous analysis, and written and verbal communication.
Graduates of our program have been admitted to some of the top graduate programs in linguistics and other fields and found careers in ESL instruction, language analysis, and computational linguistics.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF LinguisticsGet InvolvedNews
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Prof. Aniello De Santo Gave a Colloquium Talk Titled "What can Pseudo-relative clauses tell us about principles of parsing?" at Yale's Linguistics Department.
(Joint work with Dr. So Young Lee, Miami University)
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Mohammed Al-Ariqy Granted the Steffensen Cannon Fellowship Extension for a Second Year.
The Steffensen Cannon fellowship is a prestigious award given to exceptional students in the field of humanities and education at the University of Utah. It typically supports graduate students in the later stages of their programs, allowing them to pursue research in their chosen area and complete their theses without the burden of employment. Congratulations!
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Lex Putnam Selected For 1 of 2 Best in Humanities and Fine Arts Spring Symposium Poster Prizes
Lex Putnam's poster “Pre-Study Considerations: Quantifying Novel Slur Formation Through Textual Media Analysis”, the outcome of an UROP project with Aniello De Santo, has been selected for one of two Best in Humanities and Fine Arts Spring Symposium Poster Prizes! You can check out Lex's poster on Tuesday morning April 9th during the first poster session, and it will also be on display at the Marriott Library Level 1 classroom hallway, adjacent to the library café. Congratulations!
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Congratulations MaryAnn Christison! 2024 recipient of the Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Scholar Distinguished Mentor Award.
The Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Scholar Distinguished Mentor Award honors the accomplishments of faculty who have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to the mentorship of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars throughout their professional training and in continuing, multifaceted partnerships. Distinguished Professor MaryAnn Christison has been mentoring graduate students in the Department of Linguistics, as well as in other departments in the College of Humanities, for more than 20 years. Join us in congratulating Dr. Christison on this award.