The scientific study of language is as multi-faceted as language itself. Students at the U of C linguistics department look at the path an idea follows during the act of communication. We track how it is transformed from a thought in one person's mind, through planning how to say it, to the act of speech itself. In turn, we investigate how the brain of the listener interprets the sounds of speech, recognises them as words and sentences, and finally reconstructs the idea in their own mind. We explore how people learn these processes, first as infants, and later as learners of second languages.
Linguists study the role of language in society, and the effect of social structure on a language.
We research the history of English and other languages, observing how and why languages change over time. Here at the U of C, every branch of investigation becomes more engaging in class as we inspect examples from the world's languages, making the theories we learn meaningful in a hands-on way. The professors in our close-knit community strive to instil a sense of curiosity in students. There are many options open to graduates. Many students go on to become speech pathologists, helping children who have speech disorders.