Language practice

Welcome to Linguistics at UAF!

 

What is Linguistics?

Linguistics is the study of human language. It investigates how we acquire and produce distinctive sounds, words, phrases, and sentences. It explores how people use language to interact, express meaning, and enact culture. Linguists study the world of human language while learning particular languages.

  Languages Taught at UAF
Asian: Chinese, Japanese
Alaskan: Yup'ik, Inupiaq, Gwich'in (and others by independent study)
European: French, German, Latin, Russian, Spanish
Sign Language: American Sign Language

Applied Linguistics at UAF

Applied linguistics at UAF is defined broadly to include traditional applied areas related to second language acquisition as well as linguistic anthropology, socio-linguistics and language revitalization. Our graduate program offers two concentrations in applied linguistics: Second Language Acquisition Teacher Education (SLATE) and Language in Society.

Featured

BER SIG Newsletter Working Group

This year’s BER SIG News group is led by Chair Éve Ryan
and members Karen Terrell, Mina Min, Tabitha Hornby, and Grace Cornell
Gonzales. Thank you for your service and hard work in putting this thoughtfully
crafted Fall 2023 Newsletter together to bring awareness about language research to
our SIG members.

View the BER SIG newsletter

Featured

Wetherleigh Griffin Majoring in Minecraft: Engaging ESL Learners in Authentic Interactions Through Virtual Escape Rooms

Wetherleigh is a Fall 2023 Student Project Award Recipient. Under the mentorship of Dr. Sabine Siekmann, Professor of Applied Linguistics and Foreign Languages, Wetherleigh's project investigates opportunities and challenges university English as a Second Language (ESL) students and their teachers experience while completing a unit of lesson plans that use Minecraft within a task-based language teaching (TBLT) classroom strategy. Wetherleigh's lessons draw on escape rooms, Minecraft, and the intersection of the two to teach context-specific English. 

Read more on the Wetherleigh griffin

Featured

Research on French DLI in the US - What has been done so far and where do we go from there?

Ève Ryan will be presenting at the Third National Seminar for French Dual Language Immersion that will take place at the Embassy of France in the United States, in Washington DC on October 23-25, 2023. Her presentation is entitled: "Research on French DLI in the US - What has been done so far and where do we go from there?". 

Third National Seminar for French Dual Language Immersion

Featured

Academic language and English Learners - Perspectives from Alaska

Ève Ryan, together with undergraduate student Giovanna Wilde, will be presenting at the conference Exploring Equity and Methodological Advancements to Transform Academic Discourse Teaching and Research that will take place at the University of California, Los Angeles on November 3-4, 2023. Their presentation is entitled: "Academic language and English Learners - Perspectives from Alaska". Giovanna Wilde is the recipient of an URSA travel award that will fund her attendance at the conference. Congratulations Giovanna! 

Exploring Equity and Methodological Advancements to Transform Academic Discourse Teaching and Research

Featured

Piciryaramta Elicungcallra (Teaching our Way of Life through our Language)

US Department of Education grant to PI Sabine Siekmann 

Piciryaramta Elicungcallra

Featured

Alaska Native Education Computer Assisted Language Learning (ANE CALL) 

US Department of Education Grant to PI's Sabine Siekmann and Patrick Marlow. 

ANE CALL

 

 

What Our Graduates Are Doing

Attending graduate school in a Speech Pathology program.
Teaching English in Japan in the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program.
Teaching Siberian Yupik.
Coordinating a language revitalization program for Athabaskan Languages.
Working for a State Legislator.
Teaching Spanish.
Teaching English in the Peace Corps.
Attending graduate school in Linguistics.
Coordinating Native language teacher training programs
Directing tribal language programs