Location | Email Address | Program Website |
---|---|---|
South 580 Ross Building | redge@yorku.ca | lal.gradstudies.yorku.ca |
This one-year program offers an MA in Linguistics & Applied Linguistics, in which students opt for a program predominantly in the linguistics field or predominantly in the applied linguistics field.
The linguistics field centres on two interrelated areas, sociolinguistics and language contact:
- Sociolinguistics and language contact are linked through the study of language variation and change, particularly the role of social groups in initiating and propagating changes.
- Language contact and sociolinguistics also share an interest in the social and political relationships between groups from different linguistic backgrounds and in the manipulation of language to signal social relationships, identities and attitudes.
The applied linguistics field covers topics related primarily to second/additional and foreign language education:
- These areas are broadly defined to include language pedagogy, technology-mediated language teaching/learning, second language acquisition, bilingualism, issues of culture and identity, literacy and multiliteracies, applied sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, communicative competence, language policy and planning, and language contact studies.
- While the main focus is on issues surrounding the teaching of English as a foreign/second language, the program also welcomes those with an interest in teaching an additional language.
Students enroll in one of these two fields. Students may enroll for full-time or part-time study. Full-time students can complete the MA after one calendar year’s study (three terms), but special provision for additional time may be made for admissible students who lack some of the prerequisite courses.
The objectives of the PhD program are to educate candidates in linguistics and applied linguistics. The program approaches the study of language from a variety of perspectives, with a primary focus on language in its social context. Students may concentrate their research in any number of areas, ranging from core linguistics (phonetics/phonology and syntax), through sociolinguistics (discourse analysis, language contact, language variation and change, and language and law), to applied linguistics (language policy and planning, issues of culture and identity, and language pedagogy). The
different approaches of faculty members’ interests provide students with the opportunity to conduct research that bridges fields within the program.
Application Procedure
Completed application forms, letters of recommendation, transcripts, and other required documentation are reviewed by faculty members, and admissions are made on a competitive basis.