#  Language Requirement 

 



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 The departmental language requirement has two components:

## I. Reading knowledge of one language of scholarship other than English

Native speakers of qualifying languages may count their native language for this purpose. Non-native speakers may satisfy the requirement by completing a second-year language course at the university level, or by passing a one-hour departmental reading exam (dictionary permitted).

## II. Knowledge of the structure of a non-Indo-European language

This requirement may be met by taking a “structure” course (e.g.,**Linguistics 171** (Structure of Chinese), a course in linguistic typology, or a second semester of **Linguistics 117r** (Linguistic Field Methods). Practical reading and/or speaking knowledge cannot be used to satisfy this requirement.



 

  [### Linguistics Graduate Student Handbook (Dec 2025)

 ](/sites/g/files/omnuum5001/files/2026-01/Linguistics_Graduate_Student_Handbook_Fall_2025.pdf) 

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