Our Programs

 
The linguistics major consists of linguistics courses designed to foster a deep understanding of human natural language (spoken and signed), including an appreciation of the structure and organization of natural languages, the variety of natural languages, the commonalities that underlie the vast apparent differences among languages, the processes of language acquisition in children, the psychological and neurological bases of language use, and the form and significance of social variation in language. 

The goals of the linguistics major are 1) to help each student develop an understanding of the nature of natural language, 2) to help each student develop a foundation of more specialized expertise relevant to the student’s career goals, and 3) to help each student compile a record of achievement that will facilitate the student’s search for employment or further education.

For a full list of programs, their requirements, and full course descriptions, please visit the Undergraduate Catalog. For programs and their requirements, navigate to Programs in the College of Science, Technology, and Health and find Linguistics. For course information, you can search for a course by prefix and number in the search box in the Catalog Search in the top left, or you can navigate to Course Descriptions and browse there. Linguistics prefixes are LIN, ASL, ARA, CHI, FRE, GER, ITA, LAN, LAT, SPA, and WAB.

General information about our program and course offerings is listed below.

Majors

The General Linguistics major is intended for students who are looking for a rigorous liberal arts major with rich connections to a variety of science, humanities, and arts disciplines. This track is also appropriate for students who intend to do graduate study in linguistics or related disciplines such as cognitive science, computational linguistics, law, or education, among others. The major offers a unique and individualized experience for students interested in theoretical linguistics.

A variety of options give students the opportunity to work closely with faculty members, either one-on-one or in small groups. In this way, students in General Linguistics get individualized attention and an opportunity for engagement much like that of graduate students at other institutions. The mechanisms for these experiences include the following:

  • Independent Study (LIN 398) – The independent study option allows students to explore an area that is not covered in depth in the regular course offerings. The student works closely with a faculty mentor.
  • Research Internship (LIN 395) – Students who register for a research internship work with a faculty member on the faculty member’s current research project. The students are involved in all aspects of the research project: designing experiments, conducting experiments, analyzing data, and interpreting results.
  • Research assistantships on funded projects – When a faculty member receives grant funding (such as from the National Science Foundation), students are hired as research assistants on the project. They do the same kind of work as for LIN 395, but also play a leader role in the team of student researchers. Research assistants also sometimes participate in presentations at conferences or are co-authors on publications.
  • Work Study – Students who are eligible for Work Study can receive work study funds for participating in research projects.
  • LIN 426 (Topics in Advanced Theoretical Linguistics) – Although LIN 426 is listed in the Catalog as a course, it is actually a seminar that functions like a group independent study. It is intended for students who excelled in a 300-level course in a certain area and wish to pursue the topic in more depth.

Students who are interested in studying linguistics at the graduate level are well-prepared by the General Linguistics major. Our graduates have gone on to graduate programs in Linguistics at University of Illinois Chicago, CUNY and Boston University.

For students interested in pursuing a Law degree, USM offers an accelerated pathway that includes Linguistics as one of the B.A. options. 

For more information or to report problems with this page, please contact Jeanne Heil.

For students with an interest in ASL/English interpreting, we have in place a four-year interpreter training program, including courses in ASL and in interpreting theory and process. Launched in 1998 with support from the Maine Dept. of Education, these offerings are designed to serve undergraduate students at USM as well as working interpreters seeking to advance their skills. This program will prepare students to be eligible for licensure within the State of Maine. Visit the UMS State Authorization and Licensure page to learn more about the licensure requirements in other states and territories, and for contact information to inquire further about the licensure requirements associated with this program. The interim coordinator of the program is Dr. Regan Thibodeau, a well-known and highly respected Certified Deaf Interpreter, is the interim coordinator of this program.  This program has been nationally accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Interpreter Education since December 9th, 2009 and was reaccredited in October 2020. We also thank Sorenson for their sponsorship of our program.

The ASL Linguistics Concentration is intended for students interested in ASL, Deaf studies, and linguistics who intend to pursue a career other than interpreting that involves Deaf people and the Deaf community. This major brings together our unique focus on linguistics and our intensive curriculum in ASL and Deaf culture.

If you have previous experience in ASL, visit our Previous ASL Experience page for helpful information about placement and earning credit for your experience.

For more information or to report problems with this page, please contact Jeanne Heil: Jeanne Heil.

The French Linguistics and Spanish Linguistics Concentrations are intended for students interested in linguistics and specifically the French or Spanish language, and who intend to pursue careers or graduate study relating to the language. Students in each of these concentrations also have the option of doing the K-12 pathway to teacher certification in French or Spanish.

For more information or to report problems with this page, please contact Jeanne Heil: jeanne.heil@maine.edu.

Students interested in Speech-Language Science will find that linguistics provides an excellent foundation for their professional training. First, linguistics will offer a broad understanding of how normal language works and how it varies both within and across human communities. Second, linguistics has proven to be an excellent base from which to apply for graduate school admission in speech-language pathology or audiology.

This concentration provides students with the undergraduate background needed to enter graduate programs in speech-language pathology, such as the one at the University of Maine at Orono, or others elsewhere in the Northeast or across the United States. 

This curriculum has also been useful as a springboard for applications to graduate school for students who have already completed a B.A. in another field, who combine this curriculum with a major in another discipline, or who simply augment their earlier training with a few courses prior to applying for graduate school. Check here for details.

For more information or to report problems with this page, please contact Jeanne Heil: jeanne.heil@maine.edu

Minors and Certificate

The USM Linguistics Department also offers minors in Linguistics, Deaf Studies, French Language, German Language, Spanish Language, and Wabanaki Languages, as well as a Certificate Program in Wabanaki Languages.

Many students in all of the concentrations study ASL. Our ASL course curriculum places a heavy emphasis on interaction with the Deaf community. Every ASL course in the program has a community interaction requirement that increases with the level of the course.

Beyond the Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics

Graduates of the Linguistics program have been admitted to masters or doctoral programs at Boston University, CUNY Graduate Center, Gallaudet University, McGill University (Montreal), MGH Institute of Health Professions, Syracuse University, UCLA, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, University of Illinois (Chicago), University of Kentucky, University of Massachusetts (Amherst), and Vanderbilt University, among others.

Languages

The Linguistics Department offers courses in a variety of languages. Some of these are offered on a regular basis, usually with the odd-numbered levels every fall and the even-numbered levels every spring. Courses in other languages are offered irregularly in response to interest.

Approach:

All of the modern languages are taught using an immersion approach. This means that at least 80% of instruction is conducted in the language. The reason is that the human brain can learn a large amount of language automatically through exposure. Since a four-credit course meets only three hours and 20 minutes per week, it is important to give students as much exposure as possible in this short amount of time. Students are also encouraged to get more exposure outside of class by participating in community events and weekly language tables arranged by our department, as well as through online materials.

Languages offered regularly:

  • American Sign Language (ASL): eight levels of language study, plus courses in Deaf culture and a course in ASL linguistics
  • Arabic (ARA): four levels of language study
  • Chinese (CHI): four levels of language study
  • French (FRE): six levels of language study, plus a conversation course and a French linguistics course
  • German (GER): four levels of language study, plus a conversation course
  • Italian (ITA): four levels of language study
  • Latin (LAT): four levels of language study
  • Spanish (SPA): six levels of language study, plus a conversation course and a Spanish linguistics course
  • Wabanaki languages (WAB): four levels of Passamaquoddy/Wolastoqey, two levels of Abenaki

Other languages (LAN):

We offer courses in one or two languages each year that are not part of our regular language offerings. The irregularly offered languages have the prefix LAN. For example, four semesters of Somali would be numbered/titled this way: LAN 101: Beginning Somali I, LAN 102: Beginning Somali II, LAN 201: Intermediate Somali I, LAN 202: Intermediate Somali II. A course in another language would have the same numbering with a different language name in the title (for example, LAN 101: Beginning Farsi I).

We may also offer Wabanaki languages in addition to those listed above under the WAB prefix.

If you would like to study a language at USM that is not on the list of regular offerings, please let us know by completing a Language Course Suggestion Form. If we get enough interest in the same language, we will try to offer it.

Language Levels:

All the beginning and intermediate language offerings, including LAN, are four-credit courses and share the following level designations:

  • 101: Beginning I – Learning outcome corresponds to ACTFL Novice Mid
  • 102: Beginning II – Learning outcome corresponds to ACTFL Novice High
  • 201: Intermediate I – Learning outcome corresponds to ACTFL Intermediate Low
  • 202: Intermediate II – Learning outcome corresponds to ACTFL Intermediate Mid

ASL, French, German, and Spanish also have 300+ level courses:

  • ASL 305: Practical American Sign Language I
  • ASL 306: Practical American Sign Language II
  • ASL 401: Advanced American Sign Language I
  • ASL 402: Advanced American Sign Language II
  • ASL 415: ASL Literature in ASL
  • ASL 417: Deaf Art, Film, and Theater in ASL
  • FRE 300: Conversational French
  • FRE 301: Practical French I
  • FRE 302: Practical French II
  • GER 300: Conversational German
  • SPA 300: Conversational Spanish
  • SPA 301: Practical Spanish I
  • SPA 302: Practical Spanish II

Starting at a higher level:

If you have studied a language for a few years in high school or if you have already learned some of the language from your family, then we urge you to start at a higher level. A higher-level course will be more beneficial to you than a beginning course. Furthermore, courses run more smoothly when the students are at approximately the same skill level.

If you would like to start a language at a higher level than 101:

In addition to starting at a higher level, it is possible to earn credits for certain language courses by taking an exam. More information on that can be found on our Continuing Language Study page.

Core Curriculum designations:

All of the 101-202 language courses (including LAN) meet the Cultural Interpretation requirement. FRE 202, GER 202, ITA 202, and SPA 202 also meet the International requirement. ASL 201 and 202 also meet the Engaged Learning requirement.