Master of Arts in Linguistics

The Graduate Linguistics Department was founded in 1989, in collaboration between Payap University and the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL). Today over one hundred and fifty graduates from Asia, the Pacific Rim, the Americas and Europe belong to the Linguistics Department alumni.

Southeast Asia hosts many languages belonging to five entirely different language families: Tai-Kadai, Tibeto-Burman, Hmong Mien, Austroasiatic and Austronesian. Relatively little is known about the number, classification and affiliation of individual languages in the region, and many of them are endangered. Only appropriately trained linguists can investigate these languages, provide guidance to the many communities who aspire to document, preserve and cultivate their cultural heritage, and skillfully translate or train to translate materials into their language. With an eye to meeting this need, the Linguistics Department offers a strong field-linguistics focused degree right in the center of where these languages are spoken.

The Linguistics Department aims to train future linguists who are able to promote the analysis, description and documentation of the languages spoken particularly in Asia, fostering the ability of language communities to develop and maintain their own languages, including the production of quality translation.

Graduates of the program have the knowledge, ability and skill to:

  1. Apply linguistic theory to analyze, describe and document any language;
  2. Use effective methods of language study and research;
  3. Produce quality translation, examine and assess translated documents, and adapt them for successful communication;
  4. Assist non-dominant language communities to cultivate and develop their own heritage languages within the context of their national language.

Theses and Independent Studies

Curriculum Structure

Core courses:

  • All students must complete three (3) core courses:
    • AL603 Phonological Analysis;
    • AL605 Grammatical Analysis;
    • AL608 Sociolinguistics

Elective courses:

  • Students will select electives appropriate to their program of study in consultation with their program advisor.
  • Students who choose the Thesis option must choose six (6) elective courses including a methods course for a total of eighteen (18) credits.
  • Students who choose the Independent Study option must select eight (8) elective courses including a methods course for a total of twenty-four (24) credits

Final projects:

To fulfill the graduation requirements, students must write either a Thesis or an Independent Study paper.

  • Students who choose the Thesis option will write and defend a Thesis for a total of twelve (12) credits.
  • Students who choose the Independent Study option will write and defend an Independent Study paper for a total of six (6) credits.  NOTE: Students who choose this option must also take an oral comprehensive examination after the completion of all coursework requirements and before the final defense.

THESIS option: 

Core Courses 9 credits
Elective Courses 18 credits
Thesis 12 credits
Total Number of Credits 39  credits

INDEPENDENT STUDY option: 

Core Courses 9 credits
Elective Courses 24 credits
Independent Study 6 credits
Total Number of Credits 39  credits

Learn more at the Linguistics Department website

Faculty

F. Jason Diller, Ph.D.
Head of Department

  • Ph.D. Linguistics, Arizona State University, USA, 2008.

fdiller@asu.edu
Carlos M. Benitez-Torres, Ph.D.

Instructor

  • Ph.D. Linguistics, University of Leiden, The Netherlands, 2021

carlos_benitez@sil.org
Douglas M. Fraiser, Ph.D.

Instructor

  • Ph.D. Interdisciplinary Ecology (concentration in Anthropology), University of Florida, Gainesville, USA, 2007

doug_fraiser@sil.org
Elissa Ikeda

Instructor

  • Ph.D. Applied Linguistics, University of California, Los Angeles, 2007

elissa.ikeda@gmail.com
Assistant Professor, Audra Phillips, Ph.D.

Instructor

  • Ph.D. Linguistics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada, 2017

phildra@gmail.com
Douglas Maxton Inglis, Ph.D.

Instructor

  • Ph.D. Linguistics, University of Alberta, Canada, 2014

dinglis@ualberta.net
Taeho Jang, Ph.D.

Instructor

  • Ph.D. Linguistics, The Central University for Nationalities, China, 2003

taehojan@gmail.com
Linda Markowski, M.A.

Instructor

  • M.A. Linguistics, Payap University, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 2005

linda_markowski@sil.org
Mijke Mulder, Ph.D.

Instructor

  • Ph.D. Linguistics, La Trobe University, Australia, 2020

mijke.mulder@gmail.com

 
Robert Wyn Owen, Ph.D.

Instructor

  • Ph.D. Statistics, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, 1991
  • M.A. Linguistics, Payap University, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 2008

wyn_owen@sil.org
Ryan Gehrmann, Ph.D.

Instructor

  • Ph.D. in Linguistics and English Language, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, 2022

ryan_gehrmann@sil.org
HaeKyung Kim, Ph.D.

Instructor

  • Ph.D. in Linguistics, University of Paris V-Rene Descartes, France, 1996

hae-kyung_kim@gbt.or.kr

 
Sara Alise Du Preez

Instructor

  • Master of Arts in Linguistics, Payap University, Thailand, 2019.

sara.a.dupreez@gmail.com
Jennifer Engelkemier, M.A.

Instructor

  • M.A. Linguistics, Payap University, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 2010

jennifer.payap@gmail.com

 
Steve Doty, Ph.D.

Instructor

  • Ph.D. in Translation Studies, University of Auckland, New Zealand, 2007

steve_doty@sil.org

 
Terry Gibbs

IT Support

  • B.S. Physics, Colorado State University, USA

Learn more at the Linguistics Department website