The current Faculty of Language Science or UFR SDL was founded in 2006 after three courses were merged:

• General Linguistics, which built on the work of the eponymous department founded in 1968 at the former Experimental University Centre of Vincennes by Jean-Claude Chevalier, Jean Dubois, Maurice Gross and Nicolas Ruwet;
• Language Teaching and Acquisition, formerly known as the Institute of Applied Linguistics and Language Teaching, was founded in 1968 at the former Experimental University Centre of Vincennes by Emmanuel Companys, Louise Dabène and Hélène Gantier;
• Linguistics and Sign Languages offered the first university courses of this type in France at Paris 8 University in 1998 by Christian Cuxac, and combined theoretical linguistics, applied linguistics and French sign language.

With its exciting course content, educational approaches and research methods, the Faculty continues to pursue the “experimental” spirit of the 1970s with an introduction to formal linguistics (syntax, phonology, semantics, morphology and metrics), constructive use of the rich linguistics of the student population, innovative and critical analysis of French grammar, exploring relationships between linguistics, teaching and acquisition, and pilot training courses in sign language for students with hearing impairments.

Courses on offer

The UFR SDL offers two undergraduate degrees and one master’s divided into three areas of specialisation:

• Licence de Sciences du Langage (Bachelor’s in Language Science); 
• Licence professionnelle Enseignement de la LSF en milieu scolaire (Professional Bachelor’s in French Sign Language Teaching in Schools); 
• Master de Sciences du Langage (Master’s in Linguistics);
  • Master Didactique des langues étrangères et secondes (DDLES) (Master’s in Foreign and Second Language Teaching)
  • Master Interprétation Langue des Signes Française / Français (Master’s in French Sign Language / French Interpreting)
  • Master Linguistique, acquisition des langues vocales et langues des signes (LAVS) (Master’s in Linguistics, Spoken Language and Sign Language Learning)

Research

For research and doctoral studies, the UFR SDL works in close scientific collaboration with the Ecole Doctorale Cognition-Langage-Interaction (CLI) and the UMR 7023 Structures Formelles du Langage Research Group (SFL). The Faculty also regularly contributes to two publications: the Recherches linguistiques de Vincennes and AILE (Acquisition et Interaction en Langues Etrangères), as well as the “Sciences du Langage” collection published by Presses Universitaires de Vincennes.