Welcome to the Department of Linguistics
The ability to communicate in complex ways using language is arguably what sets us apart from other animal species. But where did language come from? How are we able to make speech sounds, to put these sounds together to form words, and then put these words together to form sentences? Why do we sometimes change our language in different social situations? Why does language change so much over time? And what does all this tell us about how our minds work? These are just some of the questions that are being addressed in Linguistics.
Linguistics is the scientific study of language. It bridges the social sciences, the humanities and the natural sciences. The study of Linguistics would be especially beneficial to anyone with an interest in languages, psychology, sociology, communication disorders, computer science and anthropology.
Did you know?
- The Linguistics Department at UC is a thriving research hub which attracts internationally renowned scholars.
The Origins of New Zealand English corpus is housed at UC, giving students a unique opportunity to explore New Zealand English from its earliest inception in the 1800s.
The Linguistics department at UC has close ties with The New Zealand Institute of Language Brain and Behaviour (NZILBB) which is a multi-disciplinary research centre dedicated to the study of human language.- Our research feeds into all areas of our teaching. Students have the opportunity to help with this while gaining valuable experience and paid employment by working as research assistants on some of the many research projects underway in the Linguistics department at UC.
- You can follow what we’re up to on our facebook page, on twitter (@UCLinguistics) and our blog.
Find out more about Linguistics in New Zealand at the Linguistics Society of New Zealand.