Linguistics

Study linguistics at Mason. You'll learn to approach language scientifically and transform the way you think about sounds, words, sentences, and meaning.

Through undergraduate and graduate courses, you'll be connected to a research-minded group of linguists—faculty with expertise in phonetics, phonology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, second language acquisition, and sociolinguistics.

You will have opportunities to put your developing understanding of linguistic theory to practical use. Work on the often-cited Speech Accent Archive, tutor a non-native speaker of English, or do an internship in Mason's English Language Institute.

At all levels, our students learn to connect theory to practice. They graduate with skills in problem solving, logical thinking, and data analysis that can be applied to many fields and careers.

Smithsonian’s Clough, Rutgers’ Greenberg to Speak at College Convocations

Wayne Clough, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, and Douglas Greenberg, Executive Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University, are the featured speakers of the 2012 College of Humanities and Social Sciences convocations.

New Research Shows Humans Receptive to Familiar Accents

Human listeners can immediately notice if someone has an accent different from their own. But now, new research suggests that when we listen to talkers, our brain processes native and non-native accents quite differently.

Speech Accent Archive Named Outstanding Reference Site

The Speech Accent Archive of George Mason University has been named one of 30 outstanding web sites for reference information. This recognition comes from MARS: Emerging Technologies in Reference section of the Reference and User Services Association of the American Library Association. Congratulations to the faculty, students, and native speakers who have contributed to the site.