Why Study Linguistics?
Studying linguistics is not a matter of studying many languages. Linguistics is a theoretical discipline with ties to such areas as cognitive psychology, philosophy, logic, computer science, and anthropology. Nonetheless, knowing particular languages (e.g., Spanish or Japanese) in some depth can enhance understanding of the general properties of human language. Not surprisingly then, many students of linguistics owe their initial interest to a period of exposure to a foreign language, and those who come to linguistics by some other route find their knowledge about languages enriched and are often stimulated to embark on further foreign language study.
Students interested in learning more about linguistics and its relationship to other disciplines in the humanities and social sciences are encouraged to take Linguistics 101, which is a prerequisite for most other courses in the field, or one of the freshman writing seminars offered in linguistics (on topics such as metaphor, American Sign Language, and the science of language). Linguistics 101 and our other introductory courses fulfill the social science distribution requirement. Most of our 100- and 200-level courses have no prerequisites and cover various topics in linguistics (e.g., LING 170 - Introduction to Cognitive Science, LING 285 - Linguistic Theory and Poetic Structure) or focus on the linguistics of a particular geographic region or historical development of particular languages (e.g., LING 217 and 218 - History of the English Language, LING 109 - English Words: Histories and Mysteries). Some of these courses also fulfill the breadth requirements.
Talks and discussions about linguistics are offered through the Undergraduate Linguistics Forum and the Cornell Linguistic Circle. These meetings are open to the university public and anyone wishing to learn more about linguistics is most welcome to attend.
