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How to Become a Linguistics Teacher

by Angela De Schrijver, Demand Media


Linguists study the history, culture, phonetics, semantics, sociology and syntax of a language as well as
how languages differ from one another. Linguistics is essentially the scientific study of a language. There
are many ways in which you can use a linguistics degree and many areas of focus. Becoming a linguistics
teacher is an option that you may find rewarding.
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Education
Aspiring linguistics teachers must obtain at least a masters degree in linguistics to gain employment at a
university. The exact degree requirements vary from one school to another, but most linguistics
programs require you to take courses in phonology, morphology, sociolinguistics and semantics, in
addition to fulfilling general requirements. Some also call for one to three years of foreign language
study with electives in classes like anthropology, psychology and ESL. You should seek opportunities to
get hands-on experience teaching and in the field while in school through internships and student
teacher programs.
Prerequisites
To qualify for potential employment as a linguistics teacher, you must have an excellent command of
the English language, academic writing skills and cross-cultural skills. Being a native or near-native
speaker of one or more foreign languages and having experience teaching ESL is helpful. Many
universities desire candidates who have demonstrated experience teaching and developing curriculum.
However, some assistant teaching jobs or jobs with community colleges do not require as much
experience. Additional prerequisites may apply if you are interested in specializing. Computational
linguistics teachers, for example, also need an educational background in computer science and
knowledge of programming languages.
Related Reading: What Is the Average Amount of Time it Takes to Become a Teacher?
Application Process
Typically, employers request a letter of application, curriculum vitae (CV) with contact information and
three letters of recommendation. Some also request copies of college transcripts. Your letter of
application should highlight your teaching experience and qualifications for the position, and your CV
should delve deeper into your education, employment history, research projects and volunteer work.
Salary and Opportunities
Linguistics teacher salaries differ depending on the school, location and area of linguistics, but the
national average salary for post-secondary teachers was $68,760 in 2011, according to the Bureau of
Labor Statistics. The largest number of linguistics teacher jobs are in California, New York, Texas,
Pennsylvania and Ohio. Average salaries tend to be higher in California and in the northeast, reaching
$95,000 in some areas. Obtaining a Ph.D. in linguistics not only provides supplementary education,
additional fieldwork practices, and more teaching experience, it can lead to other opportunities beyond
teaching such as independent research for universities, companies and organizations should you be
interested.
Here are some of the threads
in the Linguistics, Literature, Writing and Literacy Curriculum
Language structure and function What are the basic building blocks of language? How do the
different components of the language system, such as sounds (phonology), words and suffixes
(morphology), phrases and clauses (syntax), meanings (semantics), and interpersonal functions
(pragmatics) work together to create a whole discourse? How do languages and dialects differ, or
resemble one another? How might teachers use this knowledge to understand and assess language
development, and facilitate the acquisition of language arts and literacy?
First and second language acquisition how do children accomplish the remarkable feat of learning
one, or more, complex human languages? What do the stages in language acquisition tell us about the
cognitive processes involved? What are the interconnections among language development, cognitive
development, and social interaction? How can teachers use their knowledge of first and second
language acquisition processes to create the best kinds of learning environments?
Linguistic and cultural diversity how does language usage vary in relation to social background,
ethnicity, age, gender and geographical region? How can societies and schools support bilingualism,
community languages and dialects, second language learning, and mastery of the standard language?
How do the facts of language diversity accord with the political and economic pressures for language
standards? How can a teacher reconcile the desire to value linguistic diversity with the desire to
empower students with a mastery of standard English?
Emergent Literacy and Literature How do children recognize the sounds of their language and
relate them to letters and print? What are the different kinds of cues that children rely on in making
sense of visual and verbal texts? How do early experiences with a rich variety of childrens literature
and text support emerging literacy? How might teachers create classroom environments that support
emerging writers and readers?
Developing Literacy and Literature- how can we prepare children for the increasingly important
roles that reading and writing, speaking and listening, will play in their lives? What processes do
successful writers and public speakers typically use in their own work? How do you help students
recognize that their language choices as writers will vary according to audience and purpose? How do
you integrate student writing with other areas of the curriculum? How does the writing process
support critical thinking, and facilitate understanding of a variety of content areas? How can we help
students take pleasure in reading, and in all of the verbal arts, including storytelling, theatre, poetry
and song? How can we help students use language: 1) to express themselves, 2) to comprehend the
world and its cultural traditions, 3) to participate fully in the economy, 4) to lend their full voice to the
discourse of a democratic society.

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