You are in the official 1996-97 General Catalog
for California State University, Fresno.
Linguistics
Linguistics
School of Arts and Humanities
Department of Linguistics
GERALD R. McMENAMIN, Chair
Peters Business Building, Room 383
(559) 278-2441
Department of Linguistics
GERALD R. McMENAMIN, Chair
Peters Business Building, Room 383
(559) 278-2441
Options:
English as a Second Language
Spanish-English Bilingualism
M.A. in Linguistics
Minor in Japanese
Minor in Linguistics
The Department of Linguistics offers an undergraduate minor, a Bachelor
of Arts degree with options in teaching English as a Second Language (ESL)
and Spanish-English Bilingualism, and a Master of Arts degree with options
in General Linguistics and ESL. In addition, Master of Arts degrees with
emphasis in French or German are available.
Linguistics is the study of human language its structure, its history, and
its function in human society. Linguists analyze the sound, word, and sentence
patterns in language; they write grammars and dictionaries; they investigate
the ways in which language changes across space and through time; and they
study what it means to know a language and its uses, how languages are taught
and acquired, and how an individual's language reflects the operation of
his or her mind and the values and expectations of the society to which
he or she belongs.
An undergraduate major in linguistics qualifies a student to teach ESL in
some foreign countries. It may also be used in conjunction with certain
credential programs for elementary and secondary teaching careers in this
country. Most students with undergraduate majors enter graduate programs
either at California State University, Fresno or another university. A master's
degree qualifies a student to teach in a community college or university
or in an adult school as well as institutions in most foreign countries.
A linguistics minor is a valuable supplement to a liberal studies major
or to majors in anthropology, communicative disorders, English, foreign
languages, philosophy, psychology, and other areas with a language component.
A Japanese Minor is also available for students with an interest in Japanese
language and culture and/or plans to pursue careers in various areas, such
as international business, marketing, economics, art and literature, etc.,
where a knowledge of the Japanese language and culture would be useful.
Facilities
The Department of Linguistics has equipment for the analysis of speech sounds
and for displaying the operation of the organs of speech. Computers are
used for simulating speech and for mapping the geographical extent of language
features, as well as for storing the data needed for the making of grammars
and dictionaries. The Linguistics Department provides practical classroom
teaching experience for qualified ESL students through employment in the
American English Institute, a facility established by the department and
operated under the aegis of the Extended Education Office. A description
of the American English Institute is included in the Special
Programs section of this catalog. The department's goal is to balance
theory and practical application. Our graduates are acquainted with general
linguistics and are prepared to begin work as teachers or consultants and
to continue advanced studies.
Career Opportunities
Most linguistics graduates become teachers. There is a constant and increasing
worldwide demand for teachers of ESL and for consultants and resource teachers
in elementary and secondary schools, as well as for authors and editors
of ESL instructional material. Linguists also work as teachers of other
languages, as translators, as consultants to government and business, as
bibliographers, as speech clinicians, and as specialists in any area where
the ability to analyze human language is required.
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