About the Institute of Linguistics

The Institute of Linguistics (IoL) aims at promoting and coordinating research in both General Linguistics and Applied Linguistics. It promotes interdisciplinary research, striving to foster the study of the various fields of linguistics, involving academics in practical cooperation that cuts across departmental and faculty boundaries. It is also involved in efforts to maintain the standard of English and Maltese for Academic Purposes among University students.

The IoL offers Linguistics degree programmes at B.A., M.A., M.Phil. and Ph.D. level. Undergraduate students reading for the B.A. are enrolled in the Faculty of Arts, while postgraduate students pursuing M.A., M.Phil. and PhD. Degrees are enrolled in the IoL. In addition, the IoL offers courses in Linguistics across the University, including an introductory course in Linguistics that is open to students engaged in a wide variety of studies, including Arts, Law and Engineering.

The IoL provides courses in Linguistics to undergraduate students reading for degrees in a range of areas, including Maltese and Psychology, as well as to B.Ed. undergraduate and postgraduate students following a language specialisation. A substantial component of the B.Sc. (Hons) degree programme in Communication Therapy, which is offered by the Institute of Health Care (IHC), is taught by IoL academic staff, and upon successful completion of their undergraduate studies increasing numbers of IHC students are registering on the M.A. programme provided by the IoL. Courses in Maltese Sign Language are also offered by the IoL to groups of 60 students per year.

Linguistics is now becoming quite popular as the yearly increase in the number of first-year, undergraduate students attests. Over the years the IoL has also consistently been able to attract overseas students from countries such as Finland, Germany, Russia and the U.S.A. Many of the Linguistics Honours students go on to a Master's degree locally or abroad.

The IoL also provides courses in English for Academic Purposes and Maltese for Academic Purposes to several of the University of Malta’s Faculties and Departments, including the Faculty of Engineering, the Department of Pharmacy within the Faculty of Science, and the Department of Social Work and Administration of the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy. English for Academic Purposes courses are well subscribed by students from overseas universities who, as part of Socrates Erasmus and similar exchange programmes, are following courses at the University of Malta. The IoL has recently opened the Joe Cremona Language Centre, a state-of-the-art language centre which includes a Writing Studio, Language Studio and Seminar Room.

The IoL is committed to collaborative research with other scholars from other academic fields. Supervision of dissertation work by IoL academic staff ranges from undergraduate to postgraduate level and includes both students enrolled with the IoL and students from other Faculties and Institutes, such as the Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Education, and the Institute of Health Care. IoL academic staff are actively involved in academic research in various areas of General Linguistics and Applied Linguistics.

The IoL has a number of active links with scholars and Language and Linguistics departments in several foreign universities, and also participates in the Socrates Erasmus mobility programmes of the EU. Additionally, the IoL organises various language and linguistics related events such as local and international meetings and conferences.

The IoL serves as a meeting ground for linguists having a variety of interests and areas of expertise. Its regular and frequent meetings bring together members of the IoL academic staff who are based within the Institute, and other IoL members who, though directly involved in Linguistics as an academic discipline, are attached to the academic staffs of other Departments and Faculties.