Linguistics major
Linguistics is the study of human language and is concerned with what all languages have in common as well as how individual languages differ from one another. In practice, linguists study how languages are structured, how they are learned and used, and how languages change through time. This major includes both fascinating theoretical research and practical field-orientated projects. You will have the opportunity to work on a variety of linguistic topics including grammatical descriptions and dictionaries of Australian Aboriginal languages, analysis of Australian English, Romance languages, the study of meaning in language and the relation between language and society. You do not need to know a second language or be 'good at languages' to excel in Linguistics. Many excellent linguists speak only one language—all you need is a healthy curiosity.
Outcomes
Students are able to (1) describe important issues in defining language, particularly in distinguishing between language and communication, and between language system and language use; (2) describe key focuses of, and key concepts in, core sub-areas of linguistics—phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, discourse analysis, semantics, pragmatics, sociolinguistics, and historical linguistics; (3) describe key features of currently contending significant theoretical approaches to language structure; (4) describe key features of major approaches to language use and variation in social and historical contexts; (5) present critical evaluation of the arguments used in a linguistic analysis formulated within a theoretical model; (6) using established criteria, evaluate alternative analyses of given language data; (7) identify and describe, using appropriate terminology and notation, basic structural patterns in data from a language, in the domains of phonology, grammar and lexicon; (8) demonstrate meta-linguistic knowledge of the basic structures and patterns of use of their own language; (9) propose analyses of structural patterns in language data within different theoretical models; (10) demonstrate knowledge of the diversity of structures across languages; and (11) find, critically interpret and synthesise the content of scholarly publications in Linguistics relevant to a particular topic.
Degree-specific major
Linguistics can be taken as a degree-specific major in the following degree courses:
BP001 Bachelor of Arts
BH005 Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours)
Overview of unit sequence
Linguistics is a degree-specific single major comprising:
- two Level 1 units
- three Level 2 units
- three Level 3 units
| Key to availability of units: |
|---|
| S1 = Semester 1; S2 = Semester 2; N/A = not available in 2019 |
Note: Units that are indicated as N/A may be available in 2020 or 2021.
Level 1
Take all units (12 points):
| Availability | Unit code | Unit name | unit requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | LING1001 | Language and Communication |
|
| S2 | LING1002 | Language as a Cognitive System |
|
Level 2
Take all units (18 points):
| Availability | Unit code | Unit name | unit requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | LING2001 | Grammatical Theory: the Structure of Sentences | |
| S1 | LING2002 | Phonetics and Phonology: the Sounds of the World's Languages | |
| S2 | LING2003 | Language, Culture and Society |
|
Level 3
Take unit(s) to the value of 18 points:
| Availability | Unit code | Unit name | unit requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | LING3001 | Morphology: the Structure of Words | |
| N/A | LING3002 | Linguistic Typology: the Diversity of Languages | |
| S1 | LING3003 | Historical Linguistics: Language History and Language Change |
|
| N/A | LING3004 | Pragmatics: Meaning in Use | |
| N/A | LING3005 | Semantics: Meaning in Language |
|
| S2 | LING3006 | Topics in Linguistic Theory |
|
| S2 | LING3007 | Linguistics of Australian Indigenous Languages |
Choosing your degree-specific major
You must satisfy the requirements of a degree-specific major before you complete your course. The flexible structure of an undergraduate course allows you to try out a number of different subjects to see what interests you before nominating your degree-specific major. You have the choice to either nominate your degree-specific major when you first enrol in the course or delay nominating it until your second year.
To plan the first year of your study without nominating a degree-specific major, you are advised to choose units that will pave the way to two or more degree-specific majors that are of interest to you. For examples of the choice of units available in first year, search the first-year study plans .
To fully understand the structure of an undergraduate course, read the course structure information and the Undergraduate Degree Course Rules.
The following example illustrates how the Linguistics degree-specific major can be included in the Bachelor of Arts course.
There are more choices open to you. For more examples, search the study plans .
Choosing a second major
You also have the option to choose a second major from those available in the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Biomedical Science, Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Design Only available to re-enrolling students. or Bachelor of Science course, giving you the opportunity to pursue your interests no matter how different they are.
The following example illustrates how the Linguistics degree-specific major can be combined with a second major in the Bachelor of Arts course.
For more examples of combinations of majors, search the study plans .
Linguistics can also be taken as a second major.
Second major
Linguistics can be taken as a second major in the following degree courses:
- BP001 Bachelor of Arts
- BP006 Bachelor of Biomedical Science
- BP002 Bachelor of Commerce
- BP003 Bachelor of Design Only available to re-enrolling students.
- BP004 Bachelor of Science
- BH005 Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours)
Overview of unit sequence
The Linguistics second major is a single major comprising:
- two Level 1 units
- three Level 2 units
- three Level 3 units
| Key to availability of units: |
|---|
| S1 = Semester 1; S2 = Semester 2; N/A = not available in 2019 |
Note: Units that are indicated as N/A may be available in 2020 or 2021.
Level 1
Take all units (12 points):
| Availability | Unit code | Unit name | unit requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | LING1001 | Language and Communication |
|
| S2 | LING1002 | Language as a Cognitive System |
|
Level 2
Take all units (18 points):
| Availability | Unit code | Unit name | unit requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | LING2001 | Grammatical Theory: the Structure of Sentences | |
| S1 | LING2002 | Phonetics and Phonology: the Sounds of the World's Languages | |
| S2 | LING2003 | Language, Culture and Society |
|
Level 3
Take unit(s) to the value of 18 points:
| Availability | Unit code | Unit name | unit requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | LING3001 | Morphology: the Structure of Words | |
| N/A | LING3002 | Linguistic Typology: the Diversity of Languages | |
| S1 | LING3003 | Historical Linguistics: Language History and Language Change |
|
| N/A | LING3004 | Pragmatics: Meaning in Use | |
| N/A | LING3005 | Semantics: Meaning in Language |
|
| S2 | LING3006 | Topics in Linguistic Theory |
|
| S2 | LING3007 | Linguistics of Australian Indigenous Languages |
Choosing a second major
The flexible structure of an undergraduate course allows you the option of including a second major. You have the choice to either nominate your second major when you first enrol in the course or delay it until your second year. For a major to be recorded on your academic record it must be nominated before the requirements of the course are completed.
To fully understand the structure of an undergraduate course, read the course structure information and the Undergraduate Degree Course Rules.
The following example illustrates how Linguistics can be included as a second major in an undergraduate degree course.
For more examples of combinations of majors, search the study plans .
Linguistics can also be taken as a degree-specific major.