Linguistics


Faculty List

  • S. Bhattasali, B.A. (Bryn Mawr), M.A., Ph.D. (Cornell), Assistant Professor
  • R.I. Binnick, B.A. (CUNY), M.A., Ph.D. (Chicago), Professor Emeritus
  • R. Helms-Park, M.A., Ph.D. (Toronto), Associate Professor
  • D.M. James, B.A. (UBC), M.A.(Cornell), Ph.D. (Michigan), Professor Emeritus
  • Y. Kang, B.A. (Seoul National), Ph.D. (MIT), Professor
  • D. Kush, B.A. (Michigan), Ph.D. (Maryland), Assistant Professor
  • K. McCrindle, M.A., Ph.D. (Toronto), Associate Professor, Teaching Stream 
  • S. Moghaddam, M.A. (Tehran), Ph.D. (Toronto), Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream
  • P. Monahan, B.A., M.A. (Florida), Ph.D. (Maryland), Associate Professor
  • J. Ndayiragije, M.A. (Montreal-UQAM), Ph.D. (Montreal-UQAM), Associate Professor
  • R. Smyth, B.A. (Carleton), M.Sc. (Alberta), Ph.D. (Alberta), Professor Emeritus
  • H.X. Wu, M.A., Ph.D. (Toronto), Associate Professor, Teaching Stream


Chair: J. Ndayiragije  Email: dls-chair.utsc@utoronto.ca
For curriculum inquiries please contact the department's Program Coordinator: dls-ua@utsc.utoronto.ca

Please visit the Department of Language Studies website to read more about our faculty, events, and news items.

Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It encompasses theories of linguistic structure in all domains: speech sounds (phonetics and phonology), words (morphology), sentences (syntax), meaning (semantics), and texts or conversations (discourse). Other subfields of linguistics include psycholinguistics (language acquisition, language processing, learning how to read, and associated disorders, as well as the neural architecture underlying all of these); sociolinguistics (language variation according to region, gender, class, etc., as well as the social functions of language); historical linguistics (how languages change across time, and why); and applied linguistics (e.g. second language learning, translation, clinical linguistics).

The Major Program in Linguistics is designed to help students prepare for entry into professional programs in areas with a significant language component, such as speech/language pathology, education, and language teaching. Students with a particular interest in psycholinguistics can enroll in the Specialist Program in Psycholinguistics which provides excellent preparation for entry into postgraduate programs in speech/language pathology, psycholinguistics and education. The Specialist Program in Linguistics is designed for students who are interested in a more intensive study of linguistics or entry into a graduate program in linguistics.

Guidelines for first-year course selection

Students intending to complete the Specialist Program in Psycholinguistics should include the following in their first-year course selection: LINA01H3, LINA02H3, PSYA01H3, PSYA02H3. They should also consider BIOA01H3 or BIOA11H3 in their first year. Students intending to complete the Specialist or Major Program in Linguistics should include LINA01H3 and LINA02H3 and should consider including a language course. Students intending to complete the Minor Program in Linguistics should include LINA01H3 and LINA02H3.

Students considering graduate studies in Speech-Language Pathology should consider taking 1.0 credit in Physiology during their undergraduate studies or consult the admissions requirements for any graduate program in Speech-Language Pathology they may be interested in to build recommended courses into their undergraduate studies. Students should also be aware that completing these requirements will require undertaking all necessary prerequisites. Please contact the Department of Language Studies Program Coordinator at dls-ua@utsc.utoronto.ca for further guidance.

Program Combination Restrictions in Linguistics

  • The Specialist/Specialist Co-op, Major/Major Co-op, and Minor programs in Linguistics cannot be combined.
  • The Specialist/Specialist Co-op programs in Psycholinguistics cannot be combined with any Linguistics programs.

Experiential Learning and Outreach

For a community-based experiential learning opportunity in your academic field of interest, consider the course CTLB03H3, which can be found in the Teaching and Learning section of the Calendar.