Linguistics

Ohio University offers an undergraduate major in linguistics, the study of how languages are structured, acquired, and used. Consisting of 45 credits, the major can be completed in two years if a student begins the program in the fall of the junior year. (LING 270, an introductory course in the nature of language, does not count toward the major.) Qualified students can earn a Master of Arts degree in linguistics with one additional year of study beyond the B.A.

A core program of 30 quarter hours is required of all majors; each student must take 15 additional hours of electives in linguistics. Areas of possible concentration include the teaching of English as a second or foreign language (TESL/TEFL), theoretical linguistics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, and the use of computers in linguistic research or teaching. In addition, the major may be useful to students planning advanced study or careers in speech and hearing sciences, bilingual education, translation and interpretation, cognitive science, anthropology, philosophy, and artificial intelligence.

Unlike other majors in the College of Arts and Sciences, linguistics majors must complete three years of foreign language study and meet all general education requirements. Elective courses are recommended from the departments of English, modern or classical languages, psychology, cultural anthropology, international studies, education, and other disciplines.

A typical program of study can be sequenced across the last two years of a student’s college career. Some courses may be taken out of sequence, but prerequisites and descriptions of courses listed in this publication should be carefully noted. All linguistics majors are required to complete an independent research project (LING 495) under faculty supervision. A minimum GPA of 2.33 is required in the major, with no grade below C- in the core courses.

A minor in linguistics is also available, requiring a minimum of 24 hours and at least two courses at the 400 level. Areas of specialization include general linguistics, sociolinguistics, and teaching English as a second or foreign language.

Preservice Teacher Preparation in TEFL
Linguistics also offers a five-course module as preservice teacher preparation in TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). The courses include LING 270/350/351, LING 475, LING 480, LING 482, and LING 410. The module can be completed by linguistics majors and nonmajors. Also, Linguistics, in cooperation with Latin American Studies, offers coursework toward the TEFL module in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Language and Literature Courses
The Department of Linguistics offers courses in Arabic, Chinese, Indonesian/Malaysian, Japanese, and Swahili. Additionally, the Department of Linguistics offers the following less commonly taught languages from these geographic areas: Africa: Akan and Somali; Southeast Asia: Khmer, Thai, and Vietnamese; and South Asia: Hindi. At present, no major in these languages is available. However, if you are working toward an International Studies degree or a certificate in African or Asian Studies, you may choose three quarters of an appropriate African or Asian language as part of your course requirements. The Chinese and Japanese language programs offer education-abroad programs, which supplement part of the foreign language courses offered at Ohio University.

The department also offers courses in the literatures of Asia, which may fulfill certain requirements for an International Studies Certificate or a degree in Asian studies. See the Course Descriptions for the specific language. (Literature courses are listed under International Literature: Linguistics and have the course prefix of “ILL.”