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Linguistics

The linguistics minor at Â鶹´«Ã½ examines language as a fundamental human system. Study how languages are structured, acquired, and used across cultures while connecting language to cognition, society, and identity on the Â鶹´«Ã½ campus in Los Angeles.

Earn Your Linguistics Minor From Oxy

The Â鶹´«Ã½ linguistics undergraduate program offers an interdisciplinary minor focused on the scientific study of language. You’ll explore how languages are constructed, how they change over time, and how they shape human interaction. Coursework draws from linguistics, cognitive science, psychology, education, philosophy, and foreign language study, giving you a broad foundation in how language works.

As part of the Â鶹´«Ã½ linguistics undergraduate program, you’ll examine topics such as sound systems, grammar, meaning, language acquisition, and sociolinguistic variation. The minor pairs well with language study and is valuable for students interested in teaching, research, speech-language pathology, education, and cross-cultural work. Graduates of the linguistics minor at Â鶹´«Ã½ pursue careers in education, research, nonprofits, NGOs, and the private sector, or continue to graduate study.

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What You’ll Learn as a Linguistics Minor at Â鶹´«Ã½

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Connect language, mind, and society

You’ll study language structure, sound, meaning, and use across cultures. Coursework explores how language is learned and processed, how it varies socially, and how it connects to cognition, education, and identity.

Explore Courses & Requirements

Examine how language is processed and learned, drawing from linguistics, psychology, and neuroscience. You’ll study topics such as phonology, syntax, and psycholinguistics to understand how the mind engages with language.

The linguistics minor pairs especially well with a language, such as Spanish, French, Chinese, Japanese, German, Russian, Arabic, Latin, and Greek; and other areas of study such as Group Language, cognitive science, psychology, education, Comparative Studies in Literature and Culture, and sociology.

Courses You Might Take

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Learning Linguistics in LA

Studying linguistics on the Â鶹´«Ã½ campus in Los Angeles places you in one of the most linguistically diverse cities in the world. You’ll encounter multilingual communities, language variation, and real-world contexts that deepen your understanding of language use, identity, and communication.

What Our Graduates Are Doing

Fulbright Taiwan Grantee - English Teaching Assistant

Agustin Melgar
2025

English Teacher, Izamal, Mexico; Fulbright ETA

Caroline Palumbo
2023

Fulbright Taiwan Grantee - English Teaching Assistant

Samantha Stuart
2022

Account Associate, Real Chemistry

Jacqueline Cao
2022

Speech Language Pathologist, Therapy OPS

Lana Parke-Reimer
2022

Master’s, Linguistics, Georgetown University

Charlie Boddy
2021

Master’s, Speech & Hearing Sciences, Washington State U.

Mary Craggs
2021

Chief Paralegal, Federal Defenders of New York Inc.

Maria Barkhurst
2020

Master’s, Communication Sciences, University of Redlands

Devoney Wakefield (Amberg)
2020

Meet Our Faculty

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FAQs

It’s an interdisciplinary minor that studies the complexity and systematicity of human language, including its structure, how it is learned, how it interacts with the brain and the mind, and how it varies across time and society.

Courses draw from linguistics, cognitive science, philosophy, psychology, education, Spanish and French Studies, Asian Studies, and Comparative Studies in Literature and Culture.

Yes. The minor complements Spanish, French, Chinese, Japanese, and Group Language majors, as well as other humanities and social sciences.

Graduates work in education, research, nonprofits, NGOs, and the private sector, or continue to graduate study.

Yes. The minor is especially valuable for students interested in language teaching, education, speech-language pathology, and other fields that engage multilingual communities.

Contact Spanish & French Studies
Johnson Hall 402
Fax: (323) 341-4940