We use language to express ideas, passions, commerce, art, and our deepest feelings and imaginings. But how exactly does language work? Where does it come from and how is it used and misused?

Linguists study these questions from every angle. Psycholinguists examine the cognitive aspects of language, studying what our brains do as we construct and understand sentences. Neurolinguists look at brain structures where language is located and what happens to them when language is lost in aphasia and other language deficits. Sociolinguists examine linguistic differences across dialects, and the misunderstandings they sometimes create. Historical linguists study the evolutionary changes in how words and meanings develop over time. Computational linguists are teaching machines to communicate with as much facility as humans.

Northeastern’s major in linguistics prepares students for a future in linguistic research, education, law, artificial intelligence, dictionary making, sign language interpreting, translating, and many other fields that require a precise understanding of words and how communication works. The linguistics curriculum draws on courses from African-American studies, American Sign Language, English, modern languages, philosophy and religion, psychology, and sociology and anthropology.

A degree in linguistics can lead to advanced study in law, cognitive science, education, interpreting, speech pathology, or computer science, and to work in translation, special education, or robotics.