The Linguistics major at UNH explores the commonalities, distinctions, and history of languages throughout the world, looking into how languages vary by region, social class, ethnicity, and gender. The program bridges the sciences and humanities, intersecting with fields like anthropology, psychology, and computer science. It provides a strong liberal arts foundation and prepares students for further studies in law, speech science, or language. The program provides a solid liberal arts foundation while preparing students for studies in other areas such as law, hearing science, or speech. This major matches well with a double or dual major in fields within or outside liberal arts, such as business administration.
What is linguistics?
Linguistics is the study of language. Linguists are interested in understanding the properties common to all human languages along with language history, function and acquisition. What are the characteristics that all languages share and what makes each language distinctive? How does language vary according to region, social class, ethnicity and gender? Linguists also explore many specific aspects of individual languages, language groups and language uses. A linguistics degree cuts across the boundaries between the sciences and the humanities and is closely allied with many other fields, including anthropology, psychology, sociology, speech therapy and computer science.
Why study linguistics at UNH?
The linguistics degree program at UNH provides a solid foundation in the liberal arts while also preparing you for further studies in areas such as law, speech or hearing science, or language. It’s a great fit if you’re interested in teaching English as a Foreign Language at home or abroad. The major also matches well with a dual or double major in fields such as business administration.
Potential careers
- Analyst
- Editor
- English as a Second Language teacher
- Interpreter
- Knowledge engineer
- Lexicographer
- Speech pathologist
- Translator
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Linguistics and Spanish MajorsAs a linguistics major, I am interested in the scientific study of the ways that language functions in the world. Through coursework and time as a research assistant in the linguistics program at UNH, I read about and worked on projects relating to social identity and language variation in New England. In the summer of 2020, I decided to conduct an independent research project with a Summer…Learn More
Curriculum & Requirements
Linguistics is the study of one of the most important characteristics of human beings—language. It cuts across the boundaries between the sciences and the humanities. The program is an excellent liberal arts major or preprofessional major for education, law, medicine, clergy and others. It is a particularly appropriate major for students who want to teach English as a second language. Dual majors with a foreign language, international affairs, business administration and the like are quite feasible.
Students interested in the major should consult with the program coordinator or with any professor who teaches linguistics courses. To declare a major in linguistics, a student must meet with the linguistics coordinator to design a course of study. Information is available from the University Advising Center, 101 Hood House, and at Rachel.Burdin@unh.edu, (603) 862-1088.
Degree Requirements
All Major, Option and Elective Requirements as indicated.
*Major GPA requirements as indicated.
Major Requirements
The required minimum overall GPA in major coursework is 2.0.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| LING 405 | Introduction to Linguistics | 4 |
| LING 605 | Intermediate Linguistic Analysis | 4 |
| LING 793 | Phonetics and Phonology | 4 |
| LING 794 | Syntax | 4 |
| Select one course in historical linquistics or sociolinguistics from the following: | 4 | |
ENGL 752 | History of the English Language | |
ITAL #733 | History and Development of the Italian Language | |
LING/ENGL 719 | Sociolinguistics Survey | |
RUSS 733 | History of Slavic Languages and Culture | |
SPAN 798 | Topics in Hispanic Linguistics and Cultural Studies (Subtopic A) | |
| Two years of college study (or equivalent) of one foreign language | 4-16 | |
| Select one of the following cognate specialties: | 8 | |
One year study (or equivalent) of a second foreign language from a different language family or subfamily 1 | ||
PSYC #712 | Psychology of Language 2 | |
| Select two elective courses from list below, one of which must be a 600- or 700- level LING or ENGL course 3 | 8 | |
| Discovery Program Capstone Experience: | ||
| LING 779 | Linguistic Field Methods | 4 |
| or LING 695 | Senior Honors | |
| Total Credits | 44-56 | |
- 1
Old English may count as the second foreign language if the first foreign language is not in the Germanic family.
- 2
With its prerequisite, either PSYC 512 Psychology of Primates or PSYC 513 Cognitive Psychology
- 3
History of the English Language or Sociolinguistics can be used as an elective if the other one is used for the Historical/Sociolinguistic requirement.
Elective Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropology | ||
| ANTH #795 | Reading and Research (Subtopic B) | 1-8 |
| ANTH 796 | Reading and Research (Subtopic B) | 1-8 |
| Communication | ||
| CMN #572 | Analysis of Language and Social Interaction | 4 |
| CMN 666 | Conversation Analysis | 4 |
| English | ||
| ENGL 606 | Languages of the World | 4 |
| ENGL 715 | Teaching English as a Second Language: Theory and Methods | 4 |
| ENGL 716 | Curriculum, Materials and Assessment in English as a Second Language | 4 |
| ENGL 717 | Languages in Contact | 4 |
| ENGL 718 | Morphology | 4 |
| ENGL 719 | Sociolinguistics Survey | 4 |
| ENGL 728 | Language and Gender | 4 |
| ENGL 752 | History of the English Language | 4 |
| ENGL 790 | Special Topics in Linguistics | 4 |
| ENGL 791 | English Grammar | 4 |
| LLC | ||
| LLC 791 | Methods of Foreign Language Teaching | 4 |
| Italian | ||
| ITAL #733 | History and Development of the Italian Language | 4 |
| Linguistics | ||
| LING 606 | Languages of the World | 4 |
| LING #717 | Languages in Contact | 4 |
| LING 718 | Morphology | 4 |
| LING 719 | Sociolinguistics Survey | 4 |
| LING 728 | Language and Gender | 4 |
| LING 790 | Special Topics in Linguistics Theory | 4 |
| LING 795 | Independent Study | 1-4 |
| Psychology | ||
| PSYC 512 | Psychology of Primates 1 | 4 |
| PSYC 513 | Cognitive Psychology 1 | 4 |
| PSYC #712 | Psychology of Language | 4 |
| Russian | ||
| RUSS 733 | History of Slavic Languages and Culture | 4 |
| Spanish | ||
| SPAN 641 | Spanish Language Variation & Change | 4 |
| SPAN 645 | Intro to Spanish Linguistics | 4 |
| SPAN 798 | Topics in Hispanic Linguistics and Cultural Studies (Subtopic A) | 4 |
- 1
Students may count either PSYC 512 Psychology of Primates or PSYC 513 Cognitive Psychology toward the linguistics major or minor, but not both.
Other courses may be substituted, with the permission of the student's adviser and the linguistics committee, when they are pertinent to the needs of the student's program.
Candidates for a degree must satisfy all of the University Discovery Program requirements in addition to satisfying the requirements of each individual major program. Bachelor of arts candidates must also satisfy the foreign language proficiency requirement.
Linguistics majors may use one major-required course to satisfy one Discovery category requirement.
Students will understand and be able to deploy the analytical tools, modes of critical thinking, and types of writing that are used in studying languages and linguistics. Students will be able to analyze sets of data and make arguments concerning the theoretical analysis of those data. Core areas:
- Phonetics: Students will understand the acoustic and articulatory properties of speech sounds both for English and for other languages. Students will be able to transcribe and read the International Phonetic Alphabet.
- Phonology: Students will display knowledge of phonological analysis including identifying phonemes and allophones in languages, writing phonological rules using distinctive features, and understanding phonological processes such as assimilation, epenthesis, vowel harmony, etc.
- Morphology: Students will be able to analyze word structure (inflection, derivation, compounding) both in English and in unfamiliar languages. They will understand key concepts concerning the mental lexicon.
- Syntax: Students will be able to analyze the structural properties of sentences in English and in other languages and be familiar with the principles of generative grammar.
- Sociolinguistics, Historical Linguistics, and Typology: Students will understand processes of language change over time, language variation according to region, social class, gender, and education, and the effects of language contact.
- Field Methods: Students will be able to work with a native speaker of an unfamiliar language to collect and analyze data from that language. They will understand the ethical and logistical issues involved in documenting languages.
- Applications: Students will have an understanding of practical applications of linguistic knowledge to daily life, including political issues regarding language (e.g., bilingual education, official languages), language acquisition, disorders that can affect language.
