The Graduate Linguistics Department was founded in 1989, in collaboration between Payap University and the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL). Today over one hundred 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, HmongMien, 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:
- Apply linguistic theory to analyze, describe and document any language;
- Use effective methods of language study and research;
- Produce quality translation, examine and assess translated documents, and adapt them for successful communication;
- 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
To fulfill the graduation requirements, students must write a Thesis (Plan A2), or an Independent Study paper (Plan B).
- Students who choose Plan A2 will write and defend a Thesis for a total of twelve (12) credits.
- Students who choose Plan B will write and defend an Independent Study paper for a total of six (6) credits. Students who choose this option must first take a comprehensive examination
Plan A2: Coursework and Thesis
| Core Courses | 18 credits |
| AL603 PHONOLOGICAL ANALYSIS | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL605 GRAMMATICAL ANALYSIS | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL607 SEMANTICS | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL608 SOCIOLINGUISTICS | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL704 FIELD METHODS IN LINGUISTICS | 4 (2-4-10) |
| AL706 LINGUISTIC DATA MANAGEMENT | 2 (1-2-5) |
| Elective Courses | 12 credits |
| AL703 LINGUISTIC DESCRIPTION | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL710 HISTORICAL AND COMPARATIVE LINGUISTICS | 3 (3-0-7) |
| AL711 ENDANGERED LANGUAGE DOCUMENTATION | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL712 ADVANCED GRAMMATICAL ANALYSIS | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL715 SEMINAR ON MAINLAND SOUTHEAST ASIAN LANGUAGE TYPOLOGY | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL720 TEXT ANALYSIS | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL722 LINGUISTIC PRINCIPLES OF TRANSLATION | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL723 TRANSLATION PRACTICUM | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL725 SEMINAR ON TRANSLATION AND COMMUNICATION | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL730 LEXICOGRAPHY | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL732 PRINCIPLES OF LITERACY | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL733 LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT METHODS | 3 (2-2-8) |
| AL735 SEMINAR ON LANGUAGE PLANNING AND LANGUAGE POLICY | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL740 ANTHROPOLOGICAL LINGUISTICS | 3 (2-2-8) |
| AL741 ANTHROPOLOGICAL LINGUISTICS | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL742 LANGUAGE SURVEY | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL744 ADVANCED PHONOLOGY | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL746 ADVANCED SEMANTIC ANALYSIS | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL748 SEMINAR ON TEXT ANALYSIS | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL750 SELECTED TOPICS IN LINGUISTICS | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL751 CURRENT ISSUES IN LINGUISTICS | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL752 DIRECTED READING | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL753 LINGUISTIC APPLICATIONS | 3 (3-0-9) |
| Thesis | 12 credits |
| AL799 THESIS | 12 (0-0-36) |
| Total Number of Credits | 42 credits |
Plan B: Coursework and Independent Study
| Core Courses | 18 credits |
| AL603 PHONOLOGICAL ANALYSIS | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL605 GRAMMATICAL ANALYSIS | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL607 SEMANTICS | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL608 SOCIOLINGUISTICS | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL704 FIELD METHODS IN LINGUISTICS | 4 (2-4-10) |
| AL706 LINGUISTIC DATA MANAGEMENT | 2 (1-2-5) |
| Elective Courses | 18 credits |
| AL703 LINGUISTIC DESCRIPTION | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL710 HISTORICAL AND COMPARATIVE LINGUISTICS | 3 (3-0-7) |
| AL711 ENDANGERED LANGUAGE DOCUMENTATION | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL712 ADVANCED GRAMMATICAL ANALYSIS | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL715 SEMINAR ON MAINLAND SOUTHEAST ASIAN LANGUAGE TYPOLOGY | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL720 TEXT ANALYSIS | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL722 LINGUISTIC PRINCIPLES OF TRANSLATION | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL723 TRANSLATION PRACTICUM | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL725 SEMINAR ON TRANSLATION AND COMMUNICATION | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL730 LEXICOGRAPHY | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL732 PRINCIPLES OF LITERACY | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL733 LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT METHODS | 3 (2-2-8) |
| AL735 SEMINAR ON LANGUAGE PLANNING AND LANGUAGE POLICY | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL740 ANTHROPOLOGICAL LINGUISTICS | 3 (2-2-8) |
| AL741 ANTHROPOLOGICAL LINGUISTICS | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL742 LANGUAGE SURVEY | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL744 ADVANCED PHONOLOGY | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL746 ADVANCED SEMANTIC ANALYSIS | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL748 SEMINAR ON TEXT ANALYSIS | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL750 SELECTED TOPICS IN LINGUISTICS | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL751 CURRENT ISSUES IN LINGUISTICS | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL752 DIRECTED READING | 3 (3-0-9) |
| AL753 LINGUISTIC APPLICATIONS | 3 (3-0-9) |
| Independent Study | 6 credits |
| AL797 Independent Study | 6 (0-0-18) |
| Total Number of Credits | 42 credits |
Faculty
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Stephen H. Doty, Ph.D.
Head of Department
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Christopher Pekka Wilde, Ph.D
Instructor
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Asst. Prof. Thomas Michael Tehn, Ph.D
Instructor
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Sigrid Lew, Ph.D
Instructor
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Asst. Prof . Phinnarat Akharawatthanakun
Instructor (full-time)
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Tyler M. Heston, Ph.D
Instructor
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Robert Wyn Owen, Ph.D
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David Eberhard, Ph.D
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Douglas M. Fraiser, Ph.D
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Bradford Chamberlain, M.A.
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Carlos Benitez, M.A.
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Asst. Prof. Audra Phillips, Ph.D
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Linda Markowski, M.A.
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Ryan Gehrmann, M.A.
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Terry Gibbs Office Personnel |
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Rattalanna Mingchuea Secretary (full-time) |