Linguistics

The possession of language is a fundamental aspect of the human condition. But what is language? What distinguishing properties does language have, and how do we understand those properties in the context of human cognition? How much diversity is there across languages, and how can we understand that diversity in light of the fact that languages do not vary without limit?

Linguistics is the scientific study of language and all its properties. Some of the core aspects of language that linguists study include:

• The physical manifestations of language as spoken sounds and gestural signs (Phonetics)
• The patterns in systems of signs and sounds (Phonology)
• The relations among subparts of words (Morphology)
• The structural organization of words into phrases and sentences (Syntax)
• The assignment of meaning to linguistic expressions in context (Semantics, Pragmatics)

Linguistics at Princeton

Students at Princeton develop the skills of a linguist through hands-on engagement with gathering and interpreting data from many different languages, utilizing diverse methodologies. Students will be exposed to the investigation of language through a variety of lenses, including:

• Working with native speakers of an unfamiliar language (Field Methods)
• Formulating models of language structure, and testing those models against natural language data (Theoretical Linguistics)
• Engaging with descriptive grammars and large-scale statistical correlations to investigate similarities and differences across languages (Linguistic Typology)
• Analyzing how languages change over time (Historical Linguistics)
• Modeling linguistic differences across dialects and other social contexts (Sociolinguistics)
• Measuring linguistic behaviors in controlled experimental contexts (Psycholinguistics)
• Observing how languages develop/coexist within speakers (Language Acquisition, Bilingualism)

Beyond expertise specific to linguistics, students will gain valuable skills that extend to many other domains, including: logical problem solving, gathering and organizing large data sets, recognizing patterns, making and testing hypotheses, and identifying problems in and prospects for analytical approaches.

Students with a particular interest in linguistics can pursue a Major or a Minor in Linguistics.