The minor in linguistics has three components. First it offers students a grounding in contemporary linguistic theory and its constituent domains of phonology (sound structure), morphology (word structure), syntax (grammatical structure), and semantics (the structure of meaning), with attention to a great variety found among languages of the world. Second, the minor addresses the interaction of the study of language with the fields as diverse as philosophy, literature, child development, neuroscience, and evolutionary theory. Third, as part of the appreciation of linguistic diversity, the minor requires students to develop proficiency in one or more foreign languages.