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Graduate Program in Linguistics & Applied Linguistics Faculty of Graduate Studies
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Our Programs

Our mission is to educate candidates in linguistics and applied linguistics in ways that will prepare them for careers in teaching, research, government, and the private sector. We do this within York University’s exciting academic and social environment.

We offer a one-year M.A. and a four-year Ph.D. program with courses and specializations in either Linguistics or Applied Linguistics. In Linguistics, students can focus on sociolinguistics (language variation and change, discourse analysis, language, and law), formal linguistics (phonology, syntax), or psycholinguistics. In Applied Linguistics, students can focus on second language education and assessment, language policy and planning, narrative studies, as well as multi-modal and e-learning. While linguistics and applied linguistics are the structural columns of the program, the program encourages interaction and cross-fertilization between areas of interest represented within the program.

Note: Students entering the MA and PhD programs commence in September. Our programs do not have winter or summer term start dates.

MA

The MA program commences in September and does not have winter or summer term start dates. Students can take courses and specialize in either Linguistics or Applied Linguistics. The program has cross-appointed professors from the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies, the Faculty of Education, as well as Glendon College.

Photograph of a faculty member conversing with students

PhD

The PhD program commences in September and does not have winter or summer term start dates. Advisors work with incoming PhD students to structure a program of study that provides them with a grounding in their chosen field, and also ensures their exposure to other perspectives and issues related to the larger social and linguistic contexts

In the one-year MA program, you can move quickly toward your goals in a creative and welcoming environment. You can opt for a program in the linguistics field or in the applied linguistics field. The program focuses on the broad study of language and society, language variation and change, and second language pedagogy.

Linguistics

The linguistics field centers 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 of different linguistic backgrounds and in the manipulation of language to signal social relationships, identities, and attitudes. One area in which these questions are investigated is at the intersection of language and the law (forensic linguistics).

Applied Linguistics

The applied linguistics field covers topics related to language in society and second and foreign language education:

  • These are broadly defined to include language pedagogy, issues of culture and identity, applied sociolinguistics, narrative inquiry, literacy and multiliteracies, second language acquisition, bilingualism, discourse analysis, communicative competence, and language contact studies.
  • Language policy and planning is an emerging area of expertise in the applied field, and critical applied linguistics or critical ESL/EFL pedagogies are areas of particular strength in the program. Issues related to English for Academic Purposes (EAP) are reflected in several faculty research agendas, as well as in various graduate courses.
  • The program also welcomes those with an interest in teaching additional languages other than English.

The program has cross-appointed faculty from the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, the Language, Culture & Teaching Graduate Program of the Faculty of Education, as well as Glendon College.

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 the study of language and law), to applied linguistics (language policy and planning, issues of culture and identity, and language pedagogy). The different approaches of faculty interests provide students with the opportunity to conduct research that bridges fields within the program.

Linguistics

Faculty in Linguistics work with topics related to the structure and usage of human language. Linguistics focuses on the description and explanation of patterns of phonetic, phonological, morphological, and syntactic structure. Sociolinguistics links language structure with its social and cultural context, focusing on the deployment of linguistic resources in discourse, the conditioning of language use by language-internal and social factors, and the role of language contact in initiating and propagating language change. Sociolinguistics also has an interest in the social and political relationships between groups of different linguistic backgrounds and in the manipulation of language to signal social relationships, identities, and attitudes.

Applied Linguistics

Faculty in Applied Linguistics examine language in society and as social practice, and research topics related to second and additional language education. These are broadly defined to include matters central to second language education including areas such as instructed second language acquisition, culture and identity, sociocultural theory, language policy and planning, multiliteracies and technology-mediated language teaching and learning. Issues related to English for Academic Purposes (EAP) are reflected in several faculty research agendas, as well as in various graduate courses.

Advisors work with incoming PhD students to structure a program of study that provides them with a grounding in the field they want to work in, but also ensures their exposure to other perspectives and issues, to broaden their understanding of how their research relates to the larger social and linguistic contexts. Through careful advising, student presentations, workshops, guest speaker series, and informal as well as formal opportunities to hear about the work of other students and faculty in the program, students work to build a broad understanding of Linguistics and Applied Linguistics as they prepare for academic careers and future leadership roles.

The program is structured on a four-year model, as follows:

Year 1Year 2Year 3Year 4
6 three-credit coursesQualifying examination; dissertation proposalDoctoral researchDoctoral research; dissertation completion

Learn More

The Graduate Program in Linguistics & Applied Linguistics at York is an exciting environment to pursue innovative, socially engaging, career-ready education. Contact our Graduate Program Assistant to learn more.

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