WHY I DECLARED LINGUISTICS

It started with 120. It was downhill from there.

Dominic Yu, Class of '00

Elizabeth became involved in linguistics when she took a freshman philosophy seminar entitled "The Ethical Status of Non-Human Animals." After reading the opinions of many philosophers regarding the relationship between language and consciousness, she decided she wanted to answer the questions: "What is language? Why is it central to all human cognitive processes?"

Elizabeth Ann Micks, Class of '01

Some reasons for which I decided to major in Linguistics: 1.) My bilingual/bicultural background. 2.) Ling 150, with Prof. Natalie-Schilling-Estes, which was one of the first courses I took freshman year. 3.) Professor. Elizabeth Traugott, who motivated me to declare a major in a department where I would be able to receive individual advice and mentorship.

Juno Nakamura, Class of '01

I think I thought that I might like linguistics because it would combine my sort-of technical and sort-of aesthetic inclinations. So when I became discontent with chemistry classes, I tried a lingustics course, and here I am. :)

Rebecca Brown, Class of '99

I took Professor Traugott's Language & Law (Lx30), and I loved it, so I declared that quarter (Winter Quarter, Sophomore Year). I plan to work as a legal assistant in a large corporate law firm in Los Angeles for a year. Then I'm off to law school. My long-term plans are to practice as a counsel at the Department of Justice and to teach law for a year or two.

Jean Chi, Class of '98

My 9th grade english teacher said one day i would major in linguistics. i was like, whatever. but then i took aave and syntax fall of sophomore year, and the rest is history. mostly i've taken sociolinguistic classes. i'm thinking about doing the 'step' program, but it remains to be seen whether i can pass all those tests by january! i'm actually thinking about applying in math, because i think that girls in secondary school need to know that they can do math too!

Janet Sekiguchi, Class of '98

I was lucky enough to discover Linguistics during my first year at Stanford. (I've heard many people say that they would have loved to major in Linguistics, only they didn't know it existed until junior or senior year!) After taking Intro to Linguistics that winter quarter, I enrolled in Prof. Rickford's class on pidgin and creole languages, which featured an awesome Memorial Day weekend field trip to Hawaii. There, we met with renowned linguist Derek Bickerton, as well as with a poet, a playwright, and several oral historians who use Hawaiian Creole English in their work. (And, of course, we had a bit of time to explore the beautiful beaches!) After taking that class, needless to say, I was hooked.

Linguistics is a wonderfully flexible major -- its subareas are so diverse that it truly has something to appeal to everyone. I have taken classes in Psycholinguistics, Sociolinguistics, historical Linguistics, teaching English as a second language, language and race/ethnicity, and many other topics. My knowledge of Linguistics has also enriched my study of foreign languages by giving me a new way of thinking about the nature of <language> in general, and about the interconnections between individual <languages>.

Next year I will be teaching English in a Japanese junior high or high school on the JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching) Program. Later, I hope to do the same in Spain and/or Latin America. Eventually, I will probably return to the U.S., either to continue teaching or to embark on some other language-related career.

Amy Brynolfson, Class of '98

I got into Linguistics through international relations, trying to design my own major, interests in cultures in contact and language policy and education. I hope to teaching English in the Peace Corps and then get my certification to teach elementary school.

Anna Sopko, Class of '97

After a year of introductory classes and listening to people advise me on exploring and finding the discipline in which I was most interested, I felt no closer to making a decision. The intro classes were too big for me, my performance was average, and I finished the classes unsatisfied.

My first linguistics class was a sophomore seminar, Speech in Action. There were twelve students, the professor was sharp, motivating, and approachable, and the material was

interesting. During this seminar, I found what I was seeking in a Stanford class. And soon after, I chose to major in linguistics--not because I was called by the discipline, nor because I was a natural, for I was not. I chose linguistics because of the package deal it offered: small class sizes, a welcoming and challenging faculty, and engaging material.

For my honors topic, I chose conversational analysis, focusing on disagreement-oriented conversations. What an opportunity I had to study the nature and flow of disagreements, a topic with which we all are familiar, but not a topic that we all can spend a year analytically dissecting. I discovered my passion for this study during the discourse analysis class, and I may have been the most content student on the campus my senior year. The most difficult phase of the thesis was getting started, and I am thankful that I survived that stage, for starting and completing the thesis gave me an invaluable sense of accomplishment and was the highlight of my academic experience at Stanford.

I now work at Arthur Andersen in a systems consulting , and already I have realized benefits from my linguistics background. One applicable skill that I gained from linguistics is an awareness of linguistic features in interactions with others. Whether the interaction is a presentation, a conversation, or a written document, I am linguistically aware of what is happening, and I am linguistically aware of what should be happening. Thusfar, every situation where I have contributed this linguistic perspective has been appreciated and has helped me distinguish myself from my peers. Iam happy to say that linguistics has provided me with an excellent preparation for the client services industry.

Alexander Morgan, Class of '96.