Undergraduate Study

Pass units of study

Junior units of study are a general introduction to the study of linguistics and provide the foundation for Senior level units. However, they are designed as self-contained units and, therefore, may be useful for those not proceeding further with linguistics.

Students completing their degree will need to complete 36 Senior credit points to major in linguistics, including 12 from any two of the following units of study:-

Semester 1

• LNGS 2620 Phonetics
• LNGS 2602 Syntax
• LNGS 3601 Semantics and pragmatics

Semester 2

• LNGS 2621 Phonology
• LNGS 2604 Discourse Analysis

Students are free to choose from any offered units of study in Linguistics provided they meet the prerequisite requirements, or from cross-listed units from other Departments, including language departments, Philosophy and Psychology. However, students may choose to specialise in different areas of linguistics by completing a recommended pattern of units of study.

Areas of specialisation

Theoretical Descriptive Studies: This area of specialisation will be useful to anyone with an interest in the structure of language and especially professionals whose work requires them to have a good insight to the way language is built and is used to express ideas. Students completing this major will be able to deal with phonological, grammatical or semantic data from any language and produce an explicit, systematic and theoretically informed description of them. Graduates will be fully trained in the techniques and analytical skills needed to produce such useful descriptions. In addition, they will have learned very valuable skills of argumentation in ways for weighing one possible description over alternatives. These skills are useful in many professions from computer programming and language teaching to bilingual education programs and publishing.

Social Discourse Analysis: This major offers a range of theoretically informed approaches to discourse analysis found nowhere else in the world. Students finishing this major will be able to recognise and use the methodological and theoretical tools most suited to their interests, and be able to produce systematic, theoretically-informed, data-driven analyses. There is a strong applied component with the understanding that discourse is central to most, if not all, human endeavours. Those completing this major will not only be up to date on cutting-edge discourse theory, but also be able to use that knowledge in areas such as education and the law.

Students interested in either of these specialisations should contact the Department for further information.

Language studies: Among the units on offer as electives for a linguistics major are units from the Departments of Celtic Studies, English, French, Italian and Japanese. Joint honours with these departments is actively encouraged as wel as with other language departments such as Chinese, Indonesian and German.

Computation and Linguistics: This is a growing area of research and development with prospects for employment in modern language technology industries. It requires people trained in both linguistic analysis and in information technology. Staff and students from the Linguistics department and the School of Information Technologies collaborate on projects. Students interested in this area of specialization are asked to contact both the Linguistics Department and the School of Information Technologies for information about which units to undertake for the development of a joint program of study.

Psychology and Linguistics: Psycholinguistics is a rapidly expanding field of research. Interested students are asked to contact both the Linguistics Department and the Department of Psychology for information.

Linguistics Honours

To be eligible for Linguistics Honours students must have obtained a Credit result average or better in 48 senior credit points (including three of the five units LNGS3601, LNGS2602, LNGS2604, LNGS2620, LNGS2621).
Linguistics Honours has two components: coursework, comprised of two units of study and a thesis. Two units of study will be determined in consultation with the Linguistics Honours Coordinator and the third is the Honours support seminar.
Students considering enrolling in Linguistics Honours are encouraged to consult with the Linguistics Honours Coordinator as early as possible, preferably towards the end of their third year.

Students must apply to enrol in Honours through the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Courses Online.

Coursework guidelines

Students are advised to obtain copies from lecturers of coursework guidelines, which state policies regarding such matters as assessment, grade distribution, plagiarism, style sheets and late submission of work.

Students are also encouraged to refer to the Faculty's Policies page and Faculty's Forms and Procedures page for further information.