Linguistics is the scientific study of language, its general structure and universal principles, of how language changes over time, how it is acquired and is processed during speech. It is fundamental to the study of a second language whether undertaken at Bucknell or later on after graduation. It is also strengthens study in anthropology (sociolinguistics), biology (neurolinguistics), cognitive psychology (psycholinguistics), classics (historical linguistics), philosophy (semantics), and early childhood development (language acquisition). Most importantly, the study of language raises our esteem for the only species which masters this most complex cognitive system, the one which binds us all together, for we master it, unconsciously, before we can ride a bike.

The study of language in the Linguistics Program addresses a broad range of fundamental issues pertaining to what it is to be human while providing a foundation for understanding English and learning other languages. As a major cognitive function designed to express all other functions, it is the fulcrum of the human mind. Its universal properties unites us as a single species while the differences among dialects and specific languages distinguish us as nations and cultures. Language is the basis of literature, and accompaniment of our music, while serving as the primary means of everyday self-expression.