Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It encompasses theories of linguistic structure in all domains: speech sounds (phonetics and phonology), words (morphology), sentences (syntax), meaning (semantics), and texts or conversations (discourse). Other subfields of linguistics include psycholinguistics (language acquisition, language processing, learning how to read, and associated disorders, as well as the neural architecture underlying all of these), sociolinguistics (language variation according to region, gender, class, etc., as well as the social functions of language), historical linguistics (how languages change across time, and why), and applied linguistics (e.g. second language learning, translation, clinical linguistics).
The Major Program in Linguistics is designed to help students prepare for entry into professional programs in areas with a significant language component, such as speech/language pathology, education, and language teaching. Students with a particular interest in psycholinguistics can enroll in the Specialist Program in Psycholinguistics which provides excellent preparation for entry into postgraduate programs in speech/language pathology, psycholinguistics and education. The Specialist Program in Linguistics is designed for students who are interested in a more intensive study of linguistics or entry into a graduate program in linguistics.
The Major (Co-op) Program in Psycholinguistics is a Work Integrated Learning (WIL) program that combines academic studies with paid work terms in the public, private, and/or non-profit sectors. The program provides students with the opportunity to develop the academic and professional skills required to pursue employment in these areas, or to continue on to graduate training in an academic field related to Psycholinguistics upon graduation. In addition to their academic course requirements, students must successfully complete the additive Arts & Science Co-op Work Term Preparation courses and a minimum of two Co-op work terms.
