Have you ever wondered how children acquire language quickly, easily, and without effort or formal teaching? But why is it so hard for you to learn a foreign language sometimes? If you are interested in different aspects of language, like how they evolved over a long time, how children acquire language, and how people learn languages other than theirs Linguistics is undoubtedly an apt choice.
Linguistics is the science of language, including sounds, words, and grammar rules.
Linguistics studies different aspects of language that make up the human language, the interplay between sound and meaning, and how language varies between people and situations.
FUTURE SCOPES FOR A CAREER IN LINGUISTICS
Linguistics is a growing and exciting field with an increasingly significant impact on various other areas. In recent years, there has been a surge in demand from multiple industries for competent linguists.
- Developments in artificial intelligence, communication sciences, and computer applications in natural language processing and understanding, information sciences, and other high-technology activities have increased the demand for linguists.
- A degree in linguistics can be of great value in pursuing careers in education, publishing, media, social services, communication, computer languages, psychology, voice analysis research, communicative disorders, and other language-related fields.
- Linguists are in high demand in the publishing industry, including Lexicographers who are involved in publishing dictionaries.
- Linguists are involved in fields of curriculum design, including foreign language textbooks, editing, consulting, and planning.
- The role of linguists in speech pathology and audiology is important.
- Forensic Linguists play a significant role in solving certain criminal cases. Investigation agencies have to take the help of a linguist in cases that involve speaker identification.
- There is a boom in Call center jobs, and linguists are involved in preparing training modules and training the employees professionally.
- A Linguistics degree can get you a job in technical writing, including the preparation of manuals, instructional materials, and engineering reports.
- Linguists can get jobs as translators both in the public and private sectors
- In addition, new-age banks offer managerial posts to linguists to provide effective phonetics, language, input, culture and customer service training to delegates and monitor the consistency of training.
SKILLS REQUIRED TO STUDY LINGUISTICS
- Analytical skills- Critically interpreting spoken and written language
- Language skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking
- Cultural adaptation
- Problem-solving skills
- Research skills
CAREERS IN LINGUISTICS
There is a wide range of career options available and Some of them are:
- Teacher in the field of linguistics
- Foreign/English language teacher
- Lexicographer
- Speech Pathologist
- Psycholinguists/Sociolinguists/Historical linguists
- Diplomats
- Translator
- Text-to-speech developers
- Machine translator
- Artificial intelligence developer
- Language documenter
- Interpreter
- Journalist/Writer
- Language consultant
- Copy Editor
- Audiologist
- Accent Coach
ELIGIBILITY TO DO A DEGREE IN LINGUISTICS?
- You can do graduation in linguistics after completing your 10+2 exams. Most humanities and essay-based subjects will help you study linguistics.
TOP COLLEGES IN INDIA AND ABROAD TO STUDY LINGUISTICS
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (United States)
- Harvard University (United States)
- University of Cambridge (United Kingdom)
- Stanford University (United Kingdom)
- University of Oxford (United Kingdom)
- The University of California, Berkeley
- University of Sydney
- University of Maryland, College Park
- Queens College, NY (USA)
- Cleveland State University(USA)
- Delhi University (India)
- University of Lucknow (India)
FAMOUS PEOPLE CONNECTED WITH LINGUISTICS
Ferdinand de Saussure
Swiss Linguist. He is widely considered to be one of the forefathers of both linguistics and semiology.
Noam Chomsky
Linguist, philosopher and author who is often described as the father of modern linguistics. Currently professor emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
TOP INSTITUTIONS THAT EMPLOY PEOPLE IN THIS FIELD
Places of employment can be:
- Consulting firms
- Elementary and secondary schools
- Government services:
- Investigation Agencies
- Department of Defence
- International Organizations
- Language Institutions
- Media houses
- Publishing companies
- Research Institutions
- Speech/language rehabilitation centers
- Sign language cell
- Universities and colleges
TOPICS OF STUDY
- Phonology
- Syntax
- Semantics and Pragmatics