The Department of Linguistics at the University of Arizona offers undergraduate and graduate programs in linguistics, human language technology, and Native American linguistics. Our faculty has research specializations in phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, computational linguistics, psycholinguistics, language acquisition, bilingualism, language revitalization, and biolinguistics, represented by diverse interests in a variety of languages. The department trains students for careers in teaching, research, and industry, and is equipped with a variety of laboratory facilities.
Mission Statement
The Department of Linguistics at the University of Arizona is dedicated to advancing the scientific study of language through excellence in research, teaching, outreach and community engagement. We are committed to fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment that values intellectual curiosity, innovation, and the diversity of humans, human languages, and cultures. Our goal is to use the tools of linguistics to improve the lives of our students, our neighbors, our communities and the world.
Linguistics is a scientific approach to the study of language, but within that definition, we embrace a broad range of linguistic subfields and methodologies. Linguists bring together experimental, observational, computational, and formal methodologies to questions about human language. We study the patterns in the systems of sounds (phonetics and phonology), words (morphology) and sentences (syntax) of language. We look at how people construe meaningful interpretations of linguistic forms (semantics and pragmatics). We investigate how people use language to communicate and shape their perceptions of the world (sociolinguistics). We look at language cognition, the biology of language and how languages are acquired (psycholinguistics, neurolinguistics and biolinguistics). We also are very interested in the application of linguistics to practical matters such as the development of emerging human language technologies, like machine translation, speech synthesis, and artificial intelligence (computational linguistics). Finally, we work on the documentation, preservation and revitalization of Native American and other endangered languages.
Our department celebrates linguistic and cultural diversity and we strive to create a welcoming environment for students, scholars, and community members from all backgrounds. Our commitment to social justice is reflected in our research on underrepresented languages, our support for language revitalization efforts, and our outreach to underserved communities. As a department founded with the commitment to provide linguistics training to Native American and other Indigenous language community members, we offer language courses and other course and research-based opportunities for study of these languages.
Our mission in realized through a combination of research, teaching, outreach and Community Engagement:
-
Research: Our team of world-renowned faculty and students produce impactful and innovative research that reveals new knowledge about all the major subdisciplines of the field.
-
Teaching: Through our four programs in linguistics (the Bachelor of arts in linguistics, the Masters in Human Language Technology, the Masters in Native American Linguistics and our Ph.D. in linguistics), we are dedicated to providing high-quality education, equipping students with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills necessary for careers in academia, industry, government, community service, and beyond. Our curriculum emphasizes critical thinking, data analysis, and the application of linguistic theory to real-world problems.
-
Community Engagement and Outreach: We believe in the power of linguistics to effect positive change. Through our outreach initiatives, we engage with local and global communities to promote language preservation, language policy, and linguistic education. We actively collaborate with Indigenous communities in efforts to document and revitalize endangered languages.
Our department is a leader in the field of linguistics, continually pushing the boundaries of knowledge while making a meaningful impact on society. We are committed to preparing the next generation of linguists to contribute to the study of language in ways that reflect our shared values of inclusivity, integrity, and academic excellence.
(adopted October 4, 2024)