By Kaylee Hayes | Reporter
Every student uses language, but few truly understand how it works. At Baylor, students are discovering that linguistics is more than words — it’s a science that spans careers across technology, healthcare, education and more.
Linguistics combines analytical reasoning, research methods and human behavior, inherently making it a science deeply rooted in everyday life, National Geographic says.
Associate professor of English and linguistics instructor Dr. Tammy Gregersen said the growth is reshaping assumptions about language.
“This change opens doors to new careers beyond traditional communication fields,” Gregersen said. “With skills like phonetic analysis, cognitive modeling and bilingual outreach, students can discover a future where understanding language means understanding the world.”
To prepare students for roles in fields such as artificial intelligence and speech recognition, the building blocks of language must be understood, said Dr. Garry Ross, an adjunct faculty professor in the English department.
“Linguistics is classified as a science because of its attempt to explain language by observation,” Ross said. “All we can do is look at tokens of use and catalog them.”
Linguistics is observation, data analysis and evidence-based theory about how language functions structurally and cognitively, Gregersen said.
The field examines sound production, grammar rules and the social forces that shape how people communicate across cultures. It also informs emerging technology, including natural language processing and AI.
“We contextualize linguistics in so many different ways,” Gregersen said. “Neuro-linguistics is the study of language in the brain. It’s where psychology, physiology and language come together.”
Those STEM pathways translate into tangible career opportunities.
“Speech pathology-based careers rely on linguistic science to rebuild communication after injury or neurological illness and to help individuals with speech impediments,” Gregersen said.
She said the English linguistics curriculum is strong and supported by three full-time faculty members and that faculty are prioritizing applied learning, something that will help graduates step directly into classrooms or technology-driven roles after graduation.
“It fits Baylor’s strategy for globalizing,” Gregersen said.
Ross said interest in linguistics has increased significantly since he earned his master’s at Baylor in the 1970s, when the university did not yet offer courses in English linguistics. He said more students now understand that language analysis is relevant to both scientific and social applications.
Assistant Professor of Spanish Dr. Isabella Calafate highlighted the need for linguistic expertise is growing as communication becomes increasingly global and technologically mediated.
“Language is inextricably tied to our identity, and it is interwoven with culture,” Calafate said. “When you learn how the language you use every day is structured, it gives you a deeper understanding of how you communicate and how you form connections with others.”
Calafate said Baylor’s Spanish Linguistics program introduces students to research-based approaches for serving diverse language communities in Texas and beyond.
“Linguistics develops analytical thinking and problem-solving communication skills that are useful in virtually any profession,” Calafate said. “It provides students with a toolkit to work in fields that require understanding and navigating human interaction.”
Ross said students often underestimate how much linguistic knowledge they already have, and more so, how powerful it becomes once made conscious.
“We all know how to create sentences,” Ross said. “We just do it from hearing, growing up, observing it. Even though most people wouldn’t call it linguistics, they have linguistic knowledge to some level because they can produce and understand language.”
As Baylor continues to expand linguistics offerings across departments, faculty hope for the field to become a strategic focus on campus.
