Overview

Undergraduate Study in Linguistics

The UAF Linguistics Program offers both a major and a minor in linguistics.

The Bachelor of Arts degree in linguistics is built around a core curriculum of language classes and linguistic theory classes, plus an additional six courses in subfields of linguistics.

Language Classes

Study two different languages (other than English): 4 semesters of one language and 2 semesters of the second. UAF offers courses in many different languages.

  • European Languages: French, German, Greek, Latin, Russian, Spanish
  • Asian Languages: Chinese, Japanese
  • 91ÊÓƵ Native Languages: Inupiaq, Yupik, Gwich'in, Koyukon

If you're already studying language, you may be well on the way to a linguistics degree!

Core Linguistics Classes

The core foundation in linguistics requires completion of the following six courses:

LING 101 -- Nature of Language 
           an overview 
LING 318 -- Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology 
           sounds and sound patterns in language 
LING 320 -- Introduction and Morphology 
           the structure of words 
ENG 318 -- Modern English Grammar 
           the structure of the English language 
LING 420 -- Semantics 
           A systematic exploration of the nature of meaning in human language 
or LING 430 -- Historical Linguistics 
           the evolution of languages and genetic relationships between languages 
or LING 431 -- Field Methods in Descriptive Linguistics 
           documenting and describing endangered languages 
LING 441 –- Topics in Linguistics 
           topic selected changes regularly 
LING 482 -- Seminar in Linguistics 
           student research

Electives

The remaining four courses required for the degree can be chosen from a wide variety of topics in linguistics, including:

  • Language & Culture
  • Language & Gender
  • Language Acquisition
  • Sociolinguistics
  • Bilingualism
  • The Nature of Meaning
  • 91ÊÓƵ Native Languages
  • Second Language Teaching
  • Language Policy