The Linguistics Department at the University of Hawaii has a long tradition of empirical and theoretical study of language. While research and teaching cover most of the major language families of the world, we have a special focus on documenting and studying languages of the Pacific, including Austronesian and East Asian Languages. Among our areas of particular strength are language documentation and the study of language endangerment, language and cognitive processes, and language acquisition.
At the graduate level, our three MA programs in Linguistic Analysis, Experimental Linguistics, and Language Documentation and Conservation provide thorough introductions to the subject matter and skills of the discipline. Our PhD program provides professional training for careers in research, teaching, industry, and nonprofit sectors.
Applications to the M.A. and Ph.D. programs are accepted for both the Fall and the Spring semesters. A complete description of admissions procedures is available on this site.
At the undergraduate level, we currently offer a BA in Linguistics, which can be completed with or without a Concentration in ASL, as well as a Linguistics minor. We are in the process of expanding the BA to include an enhanced Concentration in ASL with a greater set of course offerings and a Sign Language Interpretation Training Program. For updates on these developments, please contact <linguist@hawaii.edu> to join our ASL mailing list.
