Linguistic Diversity and Digital Humanities

Overview

Do you want to deepen your understanding of language in general or become an expert in linguistic diversity at a local or global scale? Are you interested in learning how humans perceive the world and process information or how to create artificial systems that resemble language, speech and human cognition? Do you want to know how to use digital methods to study aspects of human life such as history and social development?

In the Master's Programme in Linguistic Diversity and Digital Humanities (LingDig), you get an understanding of the nature and diversity of human language and the theoretical and digital tools for working with language and speech. You may also focus on digital methods in other fields within humanities or on human cognition and artificial intelligence. 

The programme offers five fields of specialisation: Cognitive Science, Digital Humanities, General Linguistics, Language Technology and Phonetics.

The Master's Programme in Linguistic Diversity and Digital Humanities from University of Helsinki  is for you if you want to:

• deepen your understanding of language in general, or

• become an expert in linguistic diversity at a local or global scale, or

• learn how humans perceive the world and process information, or

• learn how to create artificial systems that resemble language, speech and human cognition, or

• know how to use digital methods to study aspects of human life such as history and social development.

During your studies, you will:

• Gain an in-depth understanding of the basic structure of language, its subsystems (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics) and their interrelationships, building on your previous knowledge of languages and linguistics.

• Improve your skills in linguistic analysis and language description

• Deepen your knowledge of linguistic concepts, theories, descriptive models and the associated research methods

• Learn how language is related to cognition, speech and interaction as well as to social structures, culture and society

• Learn to use various methods and technical tools in order to manage and analyse language data

• Gain a good understanding of linguistic variation and diversity: what is common to the world's languages and how they differ, how language changes over time, how languages influence each another, how individuals cope with multilingual situations and how communities speaking endangered languages can be supported.

Career:

After completing your studies in the Master's Programme in Linguistic Diversity and Digital Humanities (LingDig), you will be able to work independently in various fields that require multidisciplinary expertise in linguistic sciences. You will also have the theoretical knowledge and skills that are required for postgraduate studies in doctoral programmes in language studies.

After graduation, students of the programme find employment in a wide variety of positions in which special knowledge of language is required.

One path prepares you for a research career; many graduates work as researchers in Finland and abroad. You can also work in the political, diplomatic, and educational sectors, as well as research administration. You might find other potential employers in publishing, the media and journalism, public relations, business communications, and public administration, as well as NGOs.