Slavic linguistics/ French or general..totally confused now!!!

[Francophile1]

Hello, all

I know I have been asking similar questions on this forum, and I apologize for that, but I am really confused right now so looking for some extra help here.

 

To recap. So I am finishing my MA in French Lit. and discovered (through observations and previous coursework that I am very interested in Linguistics. However my main hesitation and confusion comes about in selecting the programs to apply to.

I'm probably going to need an MA first either way because I lack some of the linguistic graduate classes, but I just cannot decide on these 3 options.

 

Right now I am primarily interested in SLA, bilingualism and syntax- I know kind of broad, but I hope to narrow it down soon!

 

These are some schools that offer Linguistics in all subjects (French/Slavic/ or general)- and they ALL seem excellent- so I really need some advice here!

 

My native tongue is Russian and I could really excel in a slavic program, however my past studies have been in French, and if I were to admit it- I really have had a HUGE passion for French! However I am not a native or a person who lived in the country for a long time, so I can see the difference between someone like me and let's say a native speaker.

 

Now there's the other choice of going into a regular Linguistic program. As I understand the primary difference here is that the focus is on general linguistics, and as I remember from my undergraduate classes this includes studying english as a large part of it?! Of course we did study cases of other languages, but nothing as focused as a foreign language linguistics would provide. Am I correct on this??

 

SO here I arrive to my dilemma:

Do I go with my native tongue? Somewhere where I know my language skills are extremely strong? But since this language is also not that highly in demand, will specializing in it, and not in the broadly accepted lit. part of it...would be a good idea for jobs??

 

Or do I continue with french, work on fluency, perhaps go abroad for short times or get extra tutoring help? Then here my question is the same- how much will I restrict myself if I graduate with a PhD in French Linguistics??

 

ANd finally, maybe it is most wise to go with a general linguistic program? Would I be able to do research or take classes in other foreign language linguistics? I know this depends on the program, but what has been your experience? In this case would I be more marketable for jobs to teach linguistics and perhaps a foreign language? What does this depend on? What research I choose to work on?

 

I know too many questions...but I just need to decide this soon!

I am going to professors, advisors and whoever else will listen to get some more answers...but in the meantime...if you can contribute please do!

[fuzzylogician]

You are asking about three completely different types of programs and it really makes me wonder what you mean when you say you've discovered that you are "very interested in linguistics." Your question sounds like "I've discovered that am interested in history. Should I apply to a Classics program, study military history in 17th century Europe, or concentrate on 11-13th century China?" These are all good choices for someone interested in those fields but there is no way we can tell you which one to choose -- it depends on your interests. If you don't know, I think it's pretty safe bet that you should not be applying to a PhD in any of these fields. You'd get vastly different education and have different job opportunities, and in any case unless there is a good reason to go down this route, most jobs you might want to do in the future would not require a PhD in any of these fields.

[funchaku]

I am a linguist at a theoretical linguistics program, and I don't know how to answer many of your questions--may I suggest the Languages forum for them instead? Here is the answer to the question I do feel comfortable answering: it is not a requirement for linguists to have a native proficiency in the language they are studying. For us, language is an object of scientific study, and we often rely on consultants for our data. That being said, a working knowledge of a language other than English can only help. I know people have said this in response to your questions in other forums, but let me reiterate that studying a foreign language has very different objectives than linguistics. 

[tspier2]

Why wouldn't you just apply to general linguistics programs? As you can tell by the name, you wouldn't necessarily be boxed into "French Linguistics" or "Slavic Philology." Obviously I'd recommend you figure out first why you want to go and what your interests actually are though, because you should have some related interests that can be discussed in the SOP. Remember that getting funded in graduate school is an investment of time and effort for you, but also of a large amount of money and resources for the institution. You can't do it whilly-nilly.

[AngelinaZ]

Great, you have discovered you are interested in linguistics. Keep reading more about it until you think you are ready to do a PhD. Don't give up studying French if you feel this huge passion.

 

@tspier2 Can you speak Macedonian? Are you interested in the language?

I am writing an MA thesis on verbal aspect (mostly data from Macedonian) and am a native speaker. Maybe you can help me with part A, maybe I can help you if you need part B.