Program

The Trent Centre for Language and Linguistics allows you to begin your study of languages or, in certain cases, to continue to a more advanced level.

For information on the degree program in French Studies, offered by the Department of French & Francophone Studies, click here.

The TCLL offers two Options designed to complement any major: the Option in Linguistics and the Option in Languages. Each enables you to include a wide range of courses in either linguistics or language (modern, Indigenous, and ancient), gaining breadth in the field while also allowing for some specialization.

Language courses offered vary according to the term and the campus, but our core languages are American Sign Language, Chinese, French, German, and Spanish. Beginners' courses are offered in all of these languages, and in some you may also be able to take upper-year courses where staffing permits. In French, we have a number of courses catering to absolute beginners, those with some background, and those with a good knowledge who are seeking to maintain or enhance their French skills.

In addition, mainly--but not exclusively--in the summer, you may take courses in languages such as Arabic, Italian, and Russian. 

Remember, too, that courses in language exist in other departments: study ancient Greek and Latin through the Ancient Greek & Roman Studies Program; or take Nishnaabemowin or Mohawk through Indigenous Studies.

In the area of linguistics, courses include a comprehensive introduction to the field as well as more focussed courses in phonetics, second-language acquisition, stylistics, and other areas of this broad-ranging field. Linguistics appeals to students in all areas: languages, of course, but also other branches of the Humanities and Social Sciences, Education, and the Sciences. Linguistics students often go into advanced studies in translation, speech language pathology, and other language-related disciplines upon graduation.