Undergraduate Programs in Linguistics

Undergraduate Studies Program Director: Lori Repetti
TESOL Education Program Director: Ximena Zate

Linguistics
Linguistics is the science of language. Language is at once the most diverse and the most clearly structured aspect of human behavior. It distinguishes humans from other species and much of human culture depends on it. Understanding the nature of human language is therefore a key to understanding human nature. Linguistics seeks to discover the common features of the languages of the world’s peoples, to understand how languages change over time, and how language relates to other aspects of human society.

The Department of Linguistics offers a major in Linguistics, a minor in Linguistics, as well as a program leading to initial certification in TESOL (PreK-12). Graduates of our program have gone on to use their skills in a variety of fields. Many are teaching ESL in public schools, colleges, universities, or in numerous educational settings abroad. Others are working in computer fields, particularly speech synthesis, while others have gone on to work in business, industry or journalism. Options for further education that are taken by our graduates include professional school in such areas as law or speech pathology, and graduate school in linguistics, philosophy, psychology, or computer science.

The Linguistics Major
The major in linguistics is designed to provide graduates with a set of skills and a body of knowledge. A graduate will have the skills to analyze the most important features of language: sounds, words, sentences, and conversation, using both formal and experimental methods. Students will also learn what linguists know about the languages of the world, their history and structure, and how language interacts with many facets of all cultures.

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
The TESOL program prepares students to become teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL/TESOL) and to teach English Language Learners in the elementary and secondary schools. At Stony Brook University, students who are seeking teacher certification in TESOL major in Linguistics and complete all requirements of the Linguistics major as well as the relevant pedagogy courses.

To be admitted to the TESOL teacher education program, undergraduate students should declare their Linguistics major by the end of the sophomore year. Students must meet minimum qualifications to be accepted into both the major and the teacher education program. Prospective teachers must meet with both the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Linguistics and the Director of TESOL Education Program to obtain the required signatures and discuss the requirements and course selection.

Contacts
Students who are considering a major or minor in Linguistics should consult with Professor Lori Repetti, Director of Undergraduate Studies, and those who wish to pursue the TESOL option within the major should also contact Ximena Zate, the Director of TESOL Education Program. Consult the Professional Education Program (PEP) website for information on requirements and application forms for the teacher education program in TESOL.