Linguistics

Using language for communication is something that human beings do as naturally as breathing. Most people take their ability to use language so for granted that they rarely stop to reflect on how complex the use of language is. Linguistics is a discipline that strives to uncover and unpack that complexity. Linguistics is the scientific study of the nature of language and communication. It encompasses the study of particular languages, the search for properties common to all languages or large groups of languages, how language is acquired and how it has shaped humankind and human society. Language is at the core of human creativity and this is why Linguistics has a place in the Humanities, even though contemporary approaches to the study of Linguistics share much with the social and natural sciences.

Linguistics offers useful insights for everyday life, with practical applications for individual interaction as well as a wide range of contemporary issues. It also offers insights for theory in research fields ranging from Anthropology to Artificial Intelligence and everything in between. Studying Linguistics helps you develop skills in scientific reasoning. It gives you practice in making observations and forming and testing hypotheses. It trains you in using and developing models and theories, and critically evaluating these.