Linguistics programs focus on how words came into being and languages develop. Students learn the history, philosophy, and psychology of language. They study how languages begin, develop, and decline. They focus on how languages of various cultures influence each other and share words over time.

Linguists are the scientists, historians, and archivists of languages. They look for origins of words, patterns in languages, and track changes in usage. Each time a culture expands to include people who speak different languages, those people share words and meanings from their separate languages, and this changes each language.

Languages also change when events or inventions prompt new expressions. Each year, committees of linguists review dictionaries and decide whether to add any new words that have come into use. They may also decide to add slang definitions for existing words or phrases that change their meanings through popular culture. Some linguistic websites publish lists of new words and phrases each year.

In linguistics programs, you might be surprised to learn that you aren't required to take second language courses. Instead, your courses teach you all about the "science of language." You take phonetics, which teaches you how sounds are made and heard. You take phonology, which teaches you about sound patterns. You also study morphology, which is the study of how words are formed. You study how sentences are put together (syntax) and how people interpret their meaning (semantics). You also learn about common patterns in all languages and how people, especially children, learn first and second languages. In addition, because linguistics covers many fields, you often take courses in history, psychology, sociology, and philosophy.

Many colleges and universities offer bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in linguistics. Several two-year colleges offer the first two years of study. Students can often transfer these credits to a four-year school. Master's degrees typically take five or six years of full-time study after high school. Doctoral degree programs typically take three to five years after the master's degree. Most people with graduate degrees become professors.

Students who major in linguistics may be able to choose concentrations such as:

• Cultural Linguistics
• Dialects
• Folklore and Language Development
• Historical Linguistics
• Literature
• Specific Language Groups
• Teaching
• Translation