A linguist is a professional who studies language. They may specialize in a particular language or languages, and may also have expertise in areas such as phonetics, dialects, or historical linguistics. Linguists often work with businesses, government agencies, or educational institutions to help them communicate more effectively.

Linguist Job Responsibilities

  • Engage in research on language, its history and structure
  • Develop theories on how language works
  • Describe the rules governing grammar, pronunciation and other aspects of a language
  • Analyze the meaning of words, phrases and sentences
  • Study the origins of languages and how they have evolved over time
  • Work with software to develop speech recognition systems or machine translation programs

Objectives

  • To develop an understanding of the complexities of language and its impact on communication.
  • To work with people from different linguistic backgrounds to promote effective communication.
  • To conduct research on language and linguistics in order to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the field.
  • To teach others about language and linguistics, and help them develop their own skills in these areas.

Linguist Job Skills & Qualifications Needed

  • A linguist is someone who studies language. There are many different types of linguists, but all linguists share a love of language and an interest in how it works. Linguists may specialize in studying a particular language or group of languages, or they may study the structure of language itself. Some linguists work with businesses to help them communicate better with their customers, while others use their knowledge of language to teach people how to speak a new language.
  • There is no one path to becoming a linguist. Many linguists have a bachelor's degree in linguistics, but there are also many selftaught linguists out there. The most important thing for any aspiring linguist is to have a passion for language and an inquisitive mind.