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Linguistics is the study of human language: its formal structure, its use in communication, and its role as part of human psychology. It has undergone rapid change and development in the last 30 years, and our faculty is at the forefront of that change. Undergraduates thus have an excellent opportunity to find out what linguistics is, how linguistics has advanced our understanding of the nature of human language, and how the results of linguistic research may relate to such fields as communication studies, computer science and artificial intelligence, philosophy, psychology and human development, and speech therapy. Linguistics is nearly unique in relating to all three of the broad areas of research at the university: humanities, the natural sciences and mathematics, and the social and behavioral sciences. It therefore may appeal especially to those who have broad interests spanning these domains. Linguists do not necessarily have to know a large number of languages, but a background in foreign languages can certainly be an asset, since concentrated investigation of one language or a few related ones is a typical mode of inquiry. In addition, a grounding in mathematics can be very helpful for the formal side of linguistic theory.