SAIL Undergraduate Track
Image credit: The above image is taken from Dr. J Calder's in the Journal of Linguistic Anthropology in 2019. A faculty member and sociophonetician in the department's Undergraduate SAIL Track, Dr. Calder has researched the complexities of how the sound /s/ is used by a 'radical' community of drag queens in SoMa, San Francisco. Dr. Calder's SAIL courses include LING 2400 (Language, Gender & Sexuality) and LING 2500 (Race, Ethnicity & Language).
Humans use language as part of almost everything we do in social life. Whether we’re chatting with a friend over coffee, participating in a cultural ceremony or performance, seeking help from the doctor, or arguing a case in front of the United Nations, language is there—as an intrinsic part of the human experience. Linguists who work in Sociocultural, Anthropological, and Interactional Linguistics (SAIL) aim to explore the links between language use and social life. How is it that members of communities use language to show who they are to one another, to build alliances and draw boundaries, to take stances and reproduce ideologies? If speakers are ‘getting things done’ through their use of language, linguists with a SAIL emphasis aim to understand what those ‘things’ are, and what role language plays in the process.
Companies
Through your training in Sociocultural, Anthropological, and Interactional Linguistics, you gain a unique awareness of the interactional subtleties and communicative dynamics that underpin social, cultural, and political life. These skills make you a well-positioned candidate for a variety of positions where analytic and critical thinking skills are prized.
Some companies where you could apply these skills include Amazon, Catchword, Communication for Social Change, Cultural Logic, Equals Three Communications, Ernst & Young, Ethnic Technologies, Facebook, Framework Institute, Google, Harder and Co, Inspire, Institute for International Education, International Rescue Committee, Landor, Many Languages One Voice, Marketeching, maslansky + partners, MindSnacks, Multilingual Connections, Nomen, Opening Doors Diversity Project, Porter Novelli, Practice Group, The Diversity Training Group, Twitter, UNESCO, Verilogue, W20 Group.
Featured SAIL Projects
Jillian Kirchner BA, MA 2018
I am currently working as an Assistant Language Teacher in Sanuki City, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan via the JET Program. My job includes assisting in English classes in two elementary schools and one junior high school, working at local English related events (conversation groups, speech contest, holiday workshops), and acting as a cultural ambassador between the U.S. and Japan. Aside from work, I have also had many priceless cultural experiences since I arrived in late July. I have met geishas in Kyoto, watched traditional puppet theater, and will be working as a Shinto shrine maiden this coming New Years. I’m enjoying my job very much.
Sociocultural Linguistics
The diversity of topics offered in the SAIL track’s coursework reflects the diversity of social life. We emphasize the importance of studying language as it is used in different cultural contexts, offering ample opportunities for students to participate in cutting-edge research going on in the field.
How The Tracks Work
All Linguistics majors are required to take 4 courses (Introduction to Linguistics, Sound Structures, Semantics, and Morphology and Syntax). There's an additional requirement of five credit hours in a language other than English at the 3000 level or above. In addition, majors must take 15 credits of LING electives (9 at the upper division level). For students on the SAIL track, 12 of these elective credits should come from the set of SAIL-related courses below.
The track also serves as a certification in this discipline and the student's transcript will reflect this
The SAIL Track Courses
Suggested Electives
Lower Division Electives
Language in US Society
Literacy Practicum
Language, Gender and Sexuality
Race, Ethnicity and Language
Upper Division Electives
American Indigenous Languages in their Social and Cultural Context
World Language Policies
Talk at Work: Language Use in Institutional Contexts
Language and Digital Media [when offered]
Japanese Sociolinguistics: Japanese Language and Society
Conversation Analysis and Interactional Linguistics
Language and Culture
Undergraduate Program Opportunities