LINGUISTICS AT WILLIAMS

Linguistics is the study of the structure of human language and the human capacity for language, with connections to many different fields of study, including philosophy, history, psychology, anthropology, sociology, biology, computer science, and of course, foreign languages.

The goal of the Linguistics Program at Williams is to teach students the methodology necessary to scientifically study language in a rigorous way.  To this end, courses in the Linguistics Program typically focus on data analysis (from both familiar and unfamiliar languages), hypothesis testing, and critical evaluation of formal linguistic theories.

Because of its size, the Linguistics Program does not yet offer a major or concentration, but students can take a variety of courses on a broad range of topics, including phonetics, phonology, syntax, semantics, and historical linguistics.  Further, many students have successfully completed contract majors in linguistics, often completing high-level research at Williams before moving on to graduate study in linguistics or a related field.