Language and Linguistics, General Linguistics

Within General Linguistics, typological linguistics, cognitive linguistics, psycholinguistics and neurolinguistics are profile areas. Typological linguistics attempts to define the confines within which language structure can vary, and to group the languages of the world into different classes based on their structural character. Cognitive linguistics seeks to obtain an understanding of the cognitive mechanisms that lie at the basis of the learning and use of language. Psycholinguistics and neurolinguistics investigate the psychological and neurological correlates of language structure and processing. In collaboration with the Humanities Laboratory, students and researchers of linguistics can study how human cognition is structured and also which mechanisms guide communication. With the help of experimental equipment at the laboratory, students can investigate how language is processed in the brain as people listen, write and read. For Master’s students in General Linguistics there is also the possibility to delve into many other areas within the field of language and language processing.