Linguistics is a discipline that explores the structure of language, its role in human activity, and its relationship to the biological and psychological human organism. It is considered one of the humanities because it focuses on the relationship between human beings and language, but it is also an exact science because of its systematic explanation of the facts of language and its use of experimental methodology.
The Department of Linguistics offers graduate programs leading to the degrees of MA and PhD in linguistics. It is possible, through the selection of relevant courses, to specialize in a variety of areas of linguistic research. These include the following: theoretical linguistics (phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics), first and second language acquisition, psycholinguistics, neurolinguistics and sociolinguistics. Detailed information about the programs, for instance, the research areas of professors, course descriptions, and student advising arrangements is provided in the department's student handbook.
The Department participates in a collaborative program in Canadian Studies at the PhD level.
The programs are governed by the general regulations in effect for graduate studies.
For the most accurate and up to date information on application deadlines, language tests and other admission requirements, please visit the specific requirements webpage.
The BA with honours in linguistics (or the equivalent) is required for admission to the master's program.
Applicants to the master's program whose BA with honours is in an area other than linguistics may be admitted to a qualifying program which will be established for each student, taking previous preparation into account. This program will comprise up to 30 units to ensure coverage of all the major areas of linguistics. After the requirements of the qualifying program have been satisfactorily fulfilled, students may apply for admission to the regular master's program.
Language Requirements
Candidates must have an adequate knowledge of English. Most of the courses are offered in English. Under the regulations of the University of Ottawa, examinations and assignments may be written in French or in English.
Requirements for this program have been modified. Please consult the 2022-2023 calendars for the previous requirements.
MA with Research Paper
Eighteen units (six courses) at the graduate level to be chosen as follows:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Compulsory Courses: | ||
| LIN 5315 | Phonology I | 3 Units |
| LIN 5317 | Syntax I | 3 Units |
| LIN 5318 | Semantics I | 3 Units |
| 9 optional course units in linguistics (LIN) at the graduate level 1 | 9 Units | |
| Research Paper: | ||
| MRP 6999 | Major Research Paper 2 | |
Note(s)
- 1
9 course units encompassing at least two of the following sub-areas: bilingualism, experimental phonetics, first language acquisition, historical linguistics, neurolinguistics, psycholinguistics, second language acquisition and sociolinguistics.
- 2
Students must successfully complete a research paper of approximately 50 pages in length. Students will normally enroll for the research paper (MRP 6999) upon completion of all courses. The research paper must be approved by two faculty members, one of whom also serves as the supervisor. The paper is graded S (satisfactory) or NS (not satisfactory).
Transfer from Master’s to PhD
Outstanding students enrolled in the master’s program may be allowed to transfer to the PhD program without being required to write a master’s thesis. For additional information, please consult the “Admission Requirements” section of the PhD program.
Duration of Program
Full-time students will normally complete the program in three terms. The maximum time allowed is four years.
Residence
Students admitted full-time must enroll full-time for a minimum of three terms.
Minimum Standards
The passing grade in all courses is C+. Students who fail two courses (equivalent to 6 units) must withdraw from the program.
Research at the University of Ottawa
Located in the heart of Canada’s capital, a few steps away from Parliament Hill, the University of Ottawa ranks among Canada’s top 10 research universities. Our research is founded on excellence, relevance and impact and is conducted in a spirit of equity, diversity and inclusion.
Our research community thrives in four strategic areas:
- Creating a sustainable environment
- Advancing just societies
- Shaping the digital world
- Enabling lifelong health and wellness
From advancing healthcare solutions to tackling global challenges like climate change, the University of Ottawa’s researchers are at the forefront of innovation, making significant contributions to society and beyond.
Research at the Faculty of Arts
The Faculty of Arts is proud of the state of the art research conducted by its professors. In the spirit of showcasing its research to the university community as well as to the general public, the Faculty has created three activities: Dean's Lecture Series, Treasures of the Library, and Excellence Lectures.
Facilities, Research Centres and Institutes at the Faculty of Arts
- Centre de recherche en civilisation canadienne-française,
- Institute of Indigenous Research and Studies,
- Institute for Science, Society and Policy,
- Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute (OLBI)
- Morisset Library.
For more information, refer to the list of faculty members and their research fields on Uniweb.
IMPORTANT: Candidates and students looking for professors to supervise their thesis or research project can also consult the website of the faculty or department of their program of choice. Uniweb does not list all professors authorized to supervise research projects at the University of Ottawa.
LIN 5302 Laboratory Techniques: Software, Signals and Stimuli (3 units)
Current laboratory techniques in empirical linguistics.
Course Component: Lecture
LIN 5303 Sociolinguistics I (3 units)
Survey of recent and classical literature on variationist sociolinguistics, and the development of skills to locate, extract and interpret variable phenomena in spontaneous speech.
Course Component: Seminar
LIN 5304 Psycholinguistics (3 units)
Introduction to the psychological factors governing the acquisition and use of language.
Course Component: Seminar
LIN 5308 Bilingualism (3 units)
Variationist perspectives on the linguistic consequences of language contact in stable bilingual communities.
Course Component: Seminar
LIN 5310 Dialectology (3 units)
Seminar on methods in dialectology, with reference to modern languages.
Course Component: Seminar
LIN 5315 Phonology I (3 units)
Basic phonological concepts; current problems in phonological research; the goals of phonological theory; fundamentals of theoretical and experimental phonology.
Course Component: Seminar
LIN 5317 Syntax I (3 units)
Current aspects and goals of syntactic research. Development of contemporary syntactic concepts.
Course Component: Seminar
LIN 5318 Semantics I (3 units)
Introduction to formal semantics with emphasis on the composition of meaning; research goals in formal semantics and overview of some current research questions.
Course Component: Seminar
LIN 5323 Research in English Linguistics (3 units)
Current issues in English linguistics.
Course Component: Seminar
LIN 5324 Research in Sociolinguistics (3 units)
Current issues in sociolinguistic research.
Course Component: Seminar
LIN 5921 Recherche en linguistique française (3 crédits / 3 units)
Volet / Course Component: Séminaire / Seminar
LIN 5922 Recherche en linguistique franco-canadienne (3 crédits / 3 units)
Volet / Course Component: Séminaire / Seminar
LIN 5998 Travaux pratiques I / Guided Research I (3 crédits / 3 units)
Volet / Course Component: Recherche / Research
LIN 5998S Travaux pratiques III / Guided Research III (3 crédits / 3 units)
Volet / Course Component: Recherche / Research
LIN 5999 Travaux pratiques II / Guided Research II (3 crédits / 3 units)
Volet / Course Component: Recherche / Research
LIN 5999S Travaux pratiques III / Guided Research III (3 crédits / 3 units)
Volet / Course Component: Recherche / Research
LIN 6301 Experimental Phonetics: Physiology (3 units)
Physiological aspects of speech production.
Course Component: Laboratory, Seminar
LIN 6302 Experimental Phonetics: Acoustics (3 units)
Fundamentals of speech acoustics.
Course Component: Discussion Group, Seminar
LIN 6315 Phonology II (3 units)
Current issues in formal and experimental phonology.
Course Component: Seminar
Prerequisite: LIN 5315
LIN 6317 Syntax II (3 units)
Current issues in syntax.
Course Component: Seminar
Prerequisite: LIN 5317
LIN 6318 Semantics II (3 units)
Advanced topics in formal semantics; overview of current debates and technical proposals.
Course Component: Seminar
Prerequisite: LIN 5318
LIN 6701 Phonétique expérimentale : La physiologie (3 crédits)
Aspects physiologiques de la production de la parole.
Volet : Séminaire
LIN 6702 Phonétique expérimentale : L'acoustique (3 crédits)
Bases de l'analyse acoustique de la parole.
Volet : Groupe de discussion, Séminaire
LIN 7301 Statistics for Linguistics Research (3 units)
Specialized statistical methods for linguistic analysis, including both descriptive and inferential statistics (e.g. frequency distribution, standard deviation, ANOVA, MANOVA, Regression, Correlation, and T-tests). Training in statistical software. Reading and writing of reports on statistics results. Practical training with linguistic data sets.
Course Component: Seminar
LIN 7310 Seminar I (3 units)
Topic to be announced.
Course Component: Seminar
LIN 7311 Seminar II (3 units)
Topic to be announced.
Course Component: Seminar
LIN 7312 Seminar III (3 units)
Topic to be announced.
Course Component: Seminar
LIN 7319 First Language Acquisition I (3 units)
First language acquisition, concentrating on theoretical, experimental and methodological issues.
Course Component: Seminar
LIN 7320 Second Language Acquisition I (3 units)
Second language acquisition, concentrating on theoretical, experimental and methodological issues.
Course Component: Seminar
LIN 7330 Topics in Theoretical Linguistics I (3 units)
Topic to be announced.
Course Component: Seminar
LIN 7331 Topics in Theoretical Linguistics II (3 units)
Topic to be announced.
Course Component: Seminar
LIN 7332 Seminar in Theoretical Linguistics I (3 units)
Topic to be announced.
Course Component: Seminar
LIN 7333 Seminar in Theoretical Linguistics II (3 units)
Topic to be announced.
Course Component: Seminar
LIN 7340 Second Language Acquisition II (3 units)
Current issues in second language acquisition.
Course Component: Seminar
LIN 7341 Psycholinguistics II (3 units)
Current issues in psycholinguistics.
Course Component: Seminar
LIN 7342 Sociolinguistics II (3 units)
Current issues in sociolinguistics.
Course Component: Seminar
LIN 7343 Neurolinguistics (3 units)
Fundamentals of neurolinguistics: concepts, methods and theories.
Course Component: Seminar
LIN 7701 Statistiques pour la recherche en linguistique (3 crédits)
Méthodes statistiques appliquées à la recherche en linguistique, incluant les méthodes appartenant à la statistique descriptive et à la statistique inférentielle (distributions, écarts-type, analyse de la variance, analyse de la variance multiple, régressions, corrélations et statistiques t). Apprentissage de l'utilisation de logiciels statistiques. Lecture et rédaction de rapports de résultats statistiques. Formation pratique dans l'étude et l'analyse des données linguistiques.
Volet : Séminaire
LIN 7710 Séminaire I (3 crédits)
Sujet à déterminer.
Volet : Séminaire
LIN 7711 Séminaire II (3 crédits)
Sujet à déterminer.
Volet : Séminaire
LIN 7712 Séminaire III (3 crédits)
Sujet à déterminer.
Volet : Séminaire
LIN 7913 Séminaire IV / Seminar IV (3 crédits / 3 units)
Volet / Course Component: Séminaire / Seminar
LIN 7921 Cours de pratique psycholinguistique / Practicum in Psycholinguistics (3 crédits / 3 units)
Volet / Course Component: Séminaire / Seminar
LIN 7997 Mémoire de maîtrise / M.A./ Research Paper
Volet / Course Component: Recherche / Research
LIN 8398 Doctoral Seminar
Development of presentational and writing skills (abstracts, articles); the inner workings of the linguistic community (conferences, types of publications, the publication process); the academic job market (applications, interviews); the academic career; the non-academic job market and the transferability of academic skills.
Course Component: Seminar
Previously LIN 8998.
LIN 9998 Examen de candidature du doctorat / Ph.D. Qualifying Examination
Volet / Course Component: Recherche / Research