Linguistics

About the Department

Sean Fulop, Department Chair
Peters Business Building, Room 383
559.278.2441
cah.fresnostate.edu/linguistics/

Linguistics is the study of the human capacity for language. Language is the defining characteristic of the human species; without language, there would be no civilization, no culture, no scientific or technological development, none of the achievements and capabilities distinctive to the human species. Therefore, the study of the nature of language is fundamental to the understanding of what it means to be human.

Students and faculty in linguistics investigate the nature of human language, its structure, diversity, universality, acquisition by children and adults, historical change, and its use in society. They study how language is processed in the human mind/brain, and how it relates to other human cognitive faculties. And they study and develop applications of linguistics to teaching, technology, and many other fields.

Degrees and Programs

Our degrees and programs develop intellectual skills that are essential to professional careers or advanced degrees and can be applied directly to various professional fields. An undergraduate or advanced degree in linguistics can prepare you for a career in a variety of different fields, including but not limited to: teaching, publishing, national security, international affairs, policy, forensics, medicine and technology. Our programs also serve as excellent preparation for pursuing advanced degrees in linguistics and other fields such as English, Anthropology, Psychology, Sociology, Computer Science, and Foreign Languages.

• The B.A. Option in General Linguistics provides a broad background in the scientific study of language, including but not limited to phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, language acquisition, sociolinguistics, and related areas.
• The B.A. Option in TESL provides professional training and preparation in theories and methods for teaching second/foreign languages and is especially compatible with degrees in education and liberal studies.
• The B.A. Option in Interdisciplinary Language Studies is for those students interested in combining the study of a particular language or languages with the core areas of linguistics.
• The B.A. Option in Computational Linguistics is for those students interested in text processing, forensic linguistics, software design, machine translation, and other professions dealing with the interface between computers and humans.
• The B.S. Degree in Cognitive Science is an interdisciplinary program that combines aspects of Computer Science, Psychology, Linguistics, and Philosophy.
• The M.A. degree in Linguistics is designed to increase the student’s knowledge and understanding of linguistics and its applications. The M.A. degree has two options, one in General Linguistics and one in TESOL / SLAT. The general linguistics program is designed to train students who expect to do further graduate work, to teach linguistics at the college level, or to do linguistic field work on less-studied languages. The option in TESOL / SLAT prepares students for further graduate work in applied linguistics and serves those who wish to teach English to speakers of other languages at any educational level, either abroad or in this country. The TESOL / SLAT option specifically meets the needs of English language teachers in this region.
• Minors in Chinese, Hmong, and Japanese are also available for students with plans to pursue careers in various areas, such as education, health care, international affairs, marketing, economics, national security, art and literature, etc., where a knowledge of language and culture would be useful.
• The Undergraduate Certificate of Special Study in Teaching English as a Second Language is intended for local and international Bachelors students who wish to specialize in English as a Second Language methods.
• The Graduate Certificate in TESL is designed to train students in the theory and practice of TESL, with application to a wide variety of teaching circumstances.

Interesting Classes You Might Take

• General Linguistics (LING 100)
• Japanese Language and Culture (LING 120)
• Practical English Grammar for Language Teachers (LING 146)
• Syntax (LING 143)
• Phonology (LING 142)
• Phonetics (LING 139)
• Historical Linguistics (LING 145)
• History of English (LING 138, GE Integration IC)
• Psycholinguistics (LING 153)
• Language Acquisition (LING 165)
• Arabic 1A-B (GE Breadth C2)
• Chinese 1A-B (GE Breadth C2)
• Hmong 1A-B (GE Breadth C2)
• Japanese 1A-B (GE Breadth C2)
• Persian 1A-B (GE Breadth C2)

What You Can Learn

• Linguistic analysis methodology: phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics

Facilities

The Department of Linguistics has a computer lab for computer-assisted language learning (CALL) and for language study. The Department also has a sound booth for phonetic analysis. The Linguistics Department provides practical classroom teaching experience for qualified ESL students through internship programs at area schools and through employment with the American English Institute.

Career Opportunities

A B.A. in Linguistics can prepare students for a career in many areas, including: translation and interpreting; publishing; editing and grammar checking; lexicography (dictionary development); indigenous language documentation and preservation.  When combined with computer science in the Computational Linguistics option, careers in technology, artificial intelligence, and software development become possibilities. In law or criminology, Linguistics graduates have a special understanding of legal issues involving language or the use of language evidence in litigation (forensic linguistics). In health care, students with a linguistics degree can take advanced training and pursue careers in speech pathology and related areas. Many corporations recruit linguistics majors into development and marketing positions.

Many of our B.A. students want to pursue careers in education. There are several ways to do this. Students interested in teaching grades 7-12 can enroll in the English Department Credential Program with a linguistics emphasis. Students can double major in linguistics and liberal studies, or minor in linguistics with a liberal studies major to lead to a Multiple Subject Credential for K-6 instruction. Students who pursue a major in linguistics by itself may enter the Multiple Subject Credential Program with satisfactory completion of the CSET Exam. Many linguistics graduates in the TESOL/SLAT option find jobs teaching English overseas.

Programs

• Linguistics - TESOL / SLAT (Second Language Acquisition and Teaching), Certificate of Special Study
• Linguistics - TESOL/SLAT (Second Language Acquisition & Teaching), Certificate of Advanced Study

• Cognitive Science, B.S.
• Linguistics - Computational Linguistics Option, B.A.
• Linguistics - General Linguistics Option, B.A.
• Linguistics - Interdisciplinary Language Studies Option, B.A.
• Linguistics - TESOL/SLAT (Second Language Acquisition & Teaching) Option, B.A.

• Linguistics - TESOL/SLAT (Second Language Acquisition & Teaching) Option, M.A.
• Linguistics, M.A.

• Chinese, Minor
• Cognitive Science, Minor
• Computational Linguistics, Minor
• Hmong, Minor
• Japanese, Minor
• Linguistics, Minor
• Teaching English as a Second Language, Minor