Welcome

Language Sciences is a hub for cross-disciplinary and cross-departmental collaborative research, teaching, service, and outreach related to the scientific study of human language at UW–Madison. Language Sciences houses an undergraduate Linguistics major, a Ph.D. program in Linguistics, and a Linguistics Ph.D. minor. We also offer courses in American Sign Language. Our faculty from across campus are engaged in innovative research projects spanning a broad range of topics and methods of inquiry.

Students presenting research at conferences

Language Sciences faculty from across campus engage in many types of research into language, including formal studies of grammar, state-of-the-art psycholinguistic experiments, and community outreach projects.

Students in Phonology class

Current and upcoming linguistics courses from across campus – over 30 courses offered each semester.

Students in ASL class practicing their signing

We offer four semesters of American Sign Language! Read about our ASL classes here.

Linguistics Opportunity Award recipients from 2024

Language Sciences awards annual scholarships to outstanding Linguistics majors, based on their achievements in research and service activities.

Undergraduate and graduate students in Linguistics, organizing the annual Workshop in General Linguistics

Our Student Org hosts this annual student conference every spring at UW–Madison, featuring presentations from many areas of linguistics.

Brochure "What can you do with your Linguistics major?"

Tech, education, and marketing are the most common career areas of our graduates, but a wide variety of paths are open to Linguistics majors. Learn more about the possibilities here!

Multilingual welcome to UW–Madison created by the Language Institute