Student Profile

Hi, my name is Daryl Macdonald and I have been studying Linguistics here at Waikato for the past three years. I didn't really know what Linguistics was about when I began my studies, but I had an idea I might enjoy it because I like all things connected with language. Two weeks into the first semester I was hooked! I have now completed seven other Linguistics papers, including one in French Linguistics, and I have thoroughly enjoyed each one.

My first taste began with "Use of Language", a first year paper designed to encourage students to think about the way language is used in society. Exploring language beyond the common judgemental approach of "correct" and "incorrect", this course introduces the Linguist's perspective - what people really say, and when and how they really say it. What is particularly interesting are some of the theories that suggest why people speak this way. I found this paper so enjoyable, I took the opportunity to repeat it last year, but this time as a tutor.

Phonetics, the linguistic study of speech sounds, is taught in "Describing Language" and "General Linguistics". Although a little intimidating at first, learning to produce and recognise the sounds of languages both familiar and unfamiliar becomes a lot of fun. The Linguistic spin on grammar is also studied in these courses. Needless to say, it's a lot more challenging than the traditional approach commonly taught in schools. Assignments are analytical puzzles, a bit like maths exercises with symbols for sounds instead of numbers.

All languages change and "Historical Linguistics", a third year paper, demonstrates this point well. But did you know that these changes, particularly sound changes, are often quite regular throughout a language, and that Linguists can reconstruct proto-languages and language families that show how these occurred? If only spelling systems could keep up with these sound changes! This paper was my favourite, it certainly answered some of the questions I had about how English got to be the way it is today.

Exploring the types of languages around the world and the way their grammar works is a fascinating glimpse into the diversity of language and human expressiveness. "Language Typology", also a third year paper, is a whirlwind tour across these different systems, including a closer look at Turkish and Tongan and smatterings of many other languages. This course emphasises the universality of common features found in human languages, which is as equally intriguing as their variation.

Studying another language with Linguistics is recommended by the Linguistics Department and I wholeheartedly support this. I chose to learn French and this has given me a valuable insight into understanding another language system and culture. A translation paper really showed me how cultures can think and express themselves very differently.

After graduating, I would like to continue my studies in Linguistics and go on to take part in some kind of research in this field. There are still other branches of Linguistics to explore and so many interesting things to learn. If you enjoy language and languages like I do, I encourage you to give Linguistics a try.