Sometimes, we spend so much of our time with like-minded people that it can be difficult to take a step back and view your academic specialty through a broader lens. During school terms, I’m surrounded every day by others who think linguistics and language are just as fascinating as I do, so it’s rare that I find myself needing to explicitly state the worthwhileness of our cause. Particularly when it comes to language, the vast majority of people don’t often take a step back and marvel at just how crazy this uniquely-human trait actually is, because it comes to us so naturally. When I’m home between terms or interacting with other scientists outside of linguistics, on the other hand, I often find myself worrying about how my passion is perceived by my audience, and whether the widespread applications of a background in linguistics have gone unnoticed. Recently, I’ve also started hearing classmates remarking on the hopelessness of their situation if they decide to leave academia – and I staunchly believe that this is simply not true! My response, as per usual, was to sit down and write about all these misconceptions, and this is the result: a broad overview for the general public – as well as those considering a degree in linguistics – of the field and its applications.
In a nutshell, linguists dissect and classify (human) language scientifically in order to better understand its function and limitations in the human mind. We also seek to answer more existential questions as to how language evolved, how it is represented in the brain, and whether it is an innate and/or unique characteristic of human beings, as well as hundreds of other questions that fall under one of these umbrellas. In order to do this, we use a combination of theoretical and empirical methods, just like the more well-known sciences, and we conduct analyses according to the scientific method: we generate hypotheses, look at what past research has to say about our hypotheses, conduct experiments, and based on the results, we decide whether to accept or reject our hypotheses. Rinse and repeat.
Aside from the fact that language is inherently fascinating (I’ve been told I may be biased), findings from linguistics can inform a vast range of disciplines, including but not limited to second language pedagogy, diagnosis and treatment of language impairments, translation/interpretation, programming, and artificial intelligence. I’ve heard of actors who studied phonetics in order to learn accents (see: My Fair Lady), professors who create languages such as Parseltongue and Dothraki, and therapists who work with aphasiacs to improve their speech fluency after a TBI. Because language is so central to the human experience, linguistics and language science are relevant to a number of other disciplines and industries. It’s an extremely versatile field, when you move beyond academia.
Off the top of my head: with a degree in linguistics, you can work in…
- Curriculum design for schools
- Overseeing language education programs (e.g. Rosetta Stone, Duolingo)
- Software development and programming, especially natural language processing
- Data analysis
- Government positions
- Language documentation and preservation work
- PR and marketing
- Lexicography
- Speech synthesis technology
- Speech-language pathology (with supplementary clinical training)
- Audiology (again, with supplementary clinical training)
- Developing diagnostic tools for language impairments
- Editing/publishing
- Technical writing
- Translation and interpreting
- Journalism
- Fictional language construction for media
- Accent coaching
- Profiling and forensics
- Any job that requires foreign language skills, assuming you’re a linguist who actually speaks a foreign language
- Traditional research, lab management, etc
As with any degree, the key is knowing how to market yourself and the skills you’ve developed throughout your training as an undergrad/grad student. A linguistics degree is far from useless, but some of its potential applications may require thinking outside the box and developing skills outside of those required by traditional coursework. What’s most important, in my humble opinion, is that you are passionate about what you study and the ways you can use this knowledge afterwards.
Words, Words, Words 