Linguistics is the scientific and systematic study of language that is focused on the study of the properties as well as the characteristics of language as a whole. It is not only the study of sound, grammar and meaning but also the history of language families, how children and adults acquire language, how language use is processed in the mind and how language is connected to race and gender.

Because Linguistics is closely related to the social and natural sciences, it can be applied to other diverse fields such as anthropology, philosophy, psychology, sociology, biology, computer science, health sciences, education and literature.

Linguistics provide insight into one of the most fascinating aspects of human knowledge and behaviour. Apart from simply understanding the intricacies of world languages, knowledge in the field of Linguistics can be applied to improve communication between people, contribute to translation activities, assisting literary efforts and treating speech disorders.

Students majoring in Linguistics acquire valuable intellectual skills such as analytical thinking, critical thinking, reasoning and articulation. It means making insightful observations, formulating clear and testable hypothesis, making predictions, debating and drawing conclusions and graduates are therefore well equipped for a variety of professional programmes and careers.

Study levels:

Depending on the country, it will take students three or four years to earn a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree in Linguistics and a further one or two years to achieve a Master of Arts degree. Additionally, colleges and universities across the world also offer courses at the Doctoral level.

The following is a list of the study levels offered:

• Bachelor of Arts in English Literature
• Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics
• Bachelor of Arts in Modern Languages and Linguistics
• Bachelor of Arts in Applied Linguistics
• Master of Arts in Literature
• Master of Arts in Modern Languages and Linguistics
• Master of Arts in Linguistics
• Master of Philosophy in Linguistics
• Ph.D.

Specialisations:

Students who choose to major in Linguistics will be expected to gain a basic grounding in the whole spectrum of the subject through the study of core modules. However, with Linguistics being a broad area of study and as it progresses, students will be required to specialise in a particular area. This will enable them to gain expertise and prepare for specialised Linguistics careers.

The different areas of Specialisation in Linguistics include:

• Applied Linguistics
• Cognitive Linguistics
• Comparative Linguistics
• Semiotics
• Lexicography
• Semantics
• Syntax
• Phonetics
• Phonology
• Sociolinguistics
• Neurolinguistics
• Psycholinguistics
• Historical Linguistics
• Pragmatics
• Language Acquisition

Employability:

Linguistics graduates have a variety of career paths to choose from as Linguistic careers are incredibly varied, ranging from academic roles to literary ones, and from science-based speech therapy to the slightly more left field career of voice coaching. More specifically, graduates are likely to find great career opportunities from various employers including educational institutions, media outlets, PR and marketing companies, publishing organisations, law firms, research and survey firms, telecommunication and IT firms, governmental and non-governmental organisations and consultancy firms such as human resources, management and investments.

Job titles include:

• Linguist
• Lexicographer
• Professor
• Forensic linguist
• Technical writer
• Computational linguist
• Accent coach
• Translator
• Interpreter
• Copywriter
• Editor
• Speech or language therapist
• English as a foreign or second language teacher
• Text-to-speech developer
• Compiler
• Writer
• Language Rights Advocate
• Psycholinguist
• Diplomat
• Sociolinguist