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University of Rochester

Department of Linguistics

Exploring language's complexity and structure

About Us

Combining humanistic and scientific concerns

What is Linguistics?

Collaborating across departments and disciplines

Our Research

Major & Minor

We offer degrees in Linguistics as well as many research opportunities for undergraduates

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Graduate Studies

Information on our cross-disciplinary PhD program and our three MA programs. 

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Research

Our research investigates the structure, complexity and diversity of human languages.

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Professor Grimm speaking with local people in the field.

Feature Story

A new publication by Nadine Grimm, assistant professor of linguistics, will soon be available

"A grammar of Gyeli" is a grammatical description of the Ngòló variety of Gyeli, an endangered Bantu (A80) language spoken by 4,000-5,000 "Pygmy" hunter-gatherers in southern Cameroon. It represents one of the most comprehensive descriptions of a northwestern Bantu language. In 2019, the grammar received the Pāṇini Award by the Association for Linguistic Typology.

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Follow us on Social Media

Twitter:@urlingdept

Instagram:@urlingdept

Facebook:facebook.com/URLinguisticsDepartment

Linguistic Colloquia

    There are no upcoming events at this time.

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Why Linguistics?

Linguistics workshop

Linguistics training provides students with skills that are important in a rapidly changing society. They learn how to use analytic and theoretical tools, work in collaborative environments, and collect, document, and organize complex research data on human language. They also gain a deep appreciation and understanding of the value of a culturally and linguistically diverse environment.

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Recent News

"A grammar of Gyeli" by Nadine Grimm, assistant professor of linguistics

June 3, 2021

This grammar offers a grammatical description of the Ngòló variety of Gyeli, an endangered ...

A new publication by Nadine Grimm, assistant professor of linguistics, will soon be available

December 16, 2020

"A grammar of Gyeli" is a grammatical description of the Ngòló variety of Gyeli, an endang ...

Congratulations Edgar Yau!

December 16, 2020

Congratulations to Edgar Yau (’20) for publishing a paper in the undergraduate research journa ...

These mentors make a difference for first-generation, minority students

December 16, 2020

In 2019, Professor Maya Abtahian received the David T. Kearns Faculty Mentoring and Teaching award a ...

Enriched Meanings: Natural Language Semantics with Category Theory

September 21, 2020

Ash Asudeh, professor of linguistics and director of the Center for Language Sciences at the Univers ...

In Solidarity with Scholar Strike

September 8, 2020

We invite the University of Rochester community to join the Frederick Douglass Institute for African ...

Pietraszko—The coming apart of case and focus in Bantu

May 26, 2020

Linguistics faculty Asia Pietraszko’s paper The coming apart of case and focus in Bantu, has b ...

Asudeh on Grammar and Meaning

January 17, 2020

Linguistics professor and CLS director Ash Asudeh has an article called Grammar and Meaning in the n ...

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Writing on a chalkboard.

Center for Language Sciences

The Center for Language Sciences (CLS) is an umbrella organization at the University of Rochester that brings together faculty, postdocs, and graduate students who conduct research on any aspect of human language as a vehicle for active interdisciplinary work.

CLS fosters research and activities that reach across a very broad group of disciplines covering a wide research focus and range of interests. It's a continually evolving organization with a history of serving as a platform for training students and postdocs in interdisciplinary research and enhancing collaborations among members.

Learn More About CLS

Want more information about the Department of Linguistics? Contact us.