Bachelor of Arts [B.A] [Linguistics] From Washington University

Human beings have a remarkable ability to learn languages: most of us are reasonably fluent speakers by the time we are five or six. But precisely because language comes so naturally to us, we have little explicit understanding of how or why language works the way it does: we feel that we just know how to speak. Linguists strive to uncover the hidden structure of human language and to explain how we humans can discuss any imaginable topic by combining a few dozen basic sounds.

The core of the Linguistics program is the study of the form language takes. We examine how words are built up from sounds, how sentences are built up from words, and how all this structure manages to communicate meaning. At Washington University, Linguistics is a special interdepartmental program that primarily serves undergraduates. Students may major or minor in Linguistics, and many of our courses can be used to fulfil cluster requirements. The Courses page includes courses taught by other departments which increase understanding of linguistics and can, in most cases, also be applied toward a Linguistics major or minor.