Graduate Program

Areas of Study

Computational Linguistics
The statistical and/or rule-based modeling of natural language from a computational perspective.

Descriptive Linguistics
The work of analyzing and describing how language is spoken.

Historical Linguistics
The study of language change.

Phonetics
The study of the sounds of human speech.

Phonology
Studies the sound system of a specific language.

Pragmatics
Studies the ability of natural language speakers to communicate more than that which is explicitly stated.

Psycholinguistics
Studies the psychological and neurobiological factors that enable humans to acquire, use, and understand language.

Semantics
Refers to aspects of meaning, as expressed in language or other systems of signs.

Sociolinguistics
The study of the effect of any and all aspects of society on the way language is used.

Syntax
The study of the rules that govern the structure of sentences, and which determine their relative grammaticality.