新墨西哥大學(xué)

Here at UNM, linguistics is more than just the study of the structure of language. We seek to investigate language as an ever-changing, ever-emerging system of communication. Although different members of the department explore language from a variety of different angles, we all view it broadly as the product of time and experience. Studying language helps us understand our own cognition and what it means to be human.

The Department of Linguistics offers the M.A. degree in Linguistics under Plan I (24 semester hours of coursework plus 6 hours of thesis) or Plan II (32 hours of coursework without a thesis) according to the general regulations set forth in the UNM Catalog, with the additional requirement that a minimum of 12 hours of 500-level courses is required under either plan.

As soon as you are admitted to the M.A. program, you should start thinking about whether writing a thesis (Plan I) or completing additional coursework (Plan II) would be most suited to your interests and long-range career goals. There are benefits to both approaches. The intensive research and writing involved in preparing a thesis can be valuable preparation for further studies at the Ph.D. level or for employment in a specific area related to linguistics. On the other hand, the M.A. program may be seen as the opportunity to pursue broad experience in linguistics. The coursework option ensures a strong foundation in linguistics with an appropriate depth and breadth of knowledge to pursue further studies or professional employment.

M.A. in Linguistics

Goal A: Breadth of Basic Knowledge

To be able to compare and evaluate linguistic theories in several core areas of linguistics

• A.1. Students will describe basic principles of leading functional, cognitive and typological linguistic theories in phonology, morphosyntax, semantics or discourse, and language change.

Goal B: Critical Understanding of the Field

To be able to critically analyze state-of-the-art research

• B.1. Students will describe the hypotheses, arguments and evidence presented in current research publications in core areas of linguistics.

Goal C: Original Data Analysis

To develop the ability to analyze naturally occurring linguistic data

• C.1. Students will analyze a novel set of naturally occurring data following principles of a linguistic theory.