Living in Australia as a native English speaker, I’ve had limited need to study other languages, although I have always found language fascinating and enjoyed taking the first course in this Best Courses Guide (BCG) a few years ago. I’m fascinated by phonetics, and the similarities and differences between languages throughout the world.

If you’re interested in linguistics, I’ve identified the top online linguistics courses and there’s a course for you. If your time is limited, a short course may fit the bill. We’ve collated ratings and reviews from Class Central and course providers to narrow down the best choices from the internet and over 300 Linguistics courses in the Class Central catalog. I’ve also included some helpful video tutorials and websites to help you learn the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). And if you want to learn a particular language, take a look at our article Free University Courses to Learn a New Language.

These courses are created by various universities and other educators from several countries.

Click on the shortcuts for more details:

• Top Picks
• Stats
• Why You Should Trust Us
• How We Made Our Picks and Tested Them

Here are our Top Picks

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Stats

• All except one are free or free-to-audit
• Three courses offer a certificate of completion
• These courses represent more than 220K enrollments and 2M views on YouTube
• 9.8K people are following the Linguistics subject on Class Central.

Best General Linguistics Course (Leiden University)

Miracles of Human Language: An Introduction to Linguistics is deservedly in Class Central’s Best Online Courses of All Time list. Are you interested in understanding language, its role in the human mind, and its connections to psychology, computer science, and anthropology? You’ll also have the opportunity to develop analytical skills throughout the course.

You’ll learn about the universal use of language in societies and discover the rich diversity of languages worldwide. You will cover essential linguistic concepts and explore similarities and differences among languages. You’ll also gain valuable insights into the work of linguists and see interviews with renowned linguists and speakers of various languages.

“This class was fantastic!!! I learned so much about linguistics that I didn’t know and it was presented in a collegial, non- threatening manner. Very enjoyable!…” – Anonymous.

Also Great Linguistics Course (University of Groningen)

Are you interested in multilingualism? Are you considering raising your child to be multilingual? Multilingual Practices: Tackling Challenges and Creating Opportunities is aimed at migrants, linguistics and language students, teachers, parents, language policy makers, and professionals working in a multilingual environment. It’s on Class Central’s  Best Online Courses of All Time list. You’ll identify central aspects of societal and individual multilingualism, identify issues that arise when people who speak different languages meet, evaluate the benefits of multilingualism, and critically evaluate multilingual language policies and practices.

“Excellent course from a great university, I have taken it twice…” – Halimo Fahimo

Best Short Linguistics Course (CrashCourse)

With over a million views, Linguistics by CrashCourse continues the CrashCourse custom of producing engaging videos packed with animations, video clips, and sound effects. Did you know there are over 7000 languages in the world, including spoken and signed languages? This course is based on an introductory university-level curriculum. You will learn how linguists approach analyzing language, including the structural features of language: phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and pragmatics. Learn how people learn and use language in social and technological contexts. You’ll also learn to identify the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and understand how the IPA chart is organized.

“This is one of the best courses that I have ever attended online. It is highly beneficial for students and teachers alike.” – Riaz Laghari.

Also Great Short Language Course (TED-Ed)

Although Playing With Language concentrates on English language and issues, you will also learn about relationships between languages and how languages evolve. You’ll even find out if Elvish, Klingon, Dothraki and Na’vi are real languages and how to decode a mysterious language.

“Super interesting! I found out many curiosities about language that I do not know if I could learn in any other place or course.” – Lídia.

Best Course on Italian Dialects (University of Naples Federico II)

Dialetti in Italia is in Italian. You’ll learn about Italian dialectology from various aspects. You will use both theoretical and practical approaches to explore dialects within the framework of Italian linguistics, their history and evolution from Latin and the relationship with the Italian language and other local varieties. The course does not aim to teach you the rules of the Neapolitan dialect, nor how to speak it.

“Un corso fatto molto bene, con esempi pratici…” (A very well done course, with practical examples…) – Anonymous.

Best Course on the History of Language (The Great Courses Plus)

Discover the history of human language from its origins more than 150,000 years ago with The Story of Human Language. It’s estimated that there are six or seven thousand languages spoken today. Topics include how language changes, language families, dialects, language death, and artificial languages.

Another course from John McWhorter via The Great Courses Plus is Language Families of the World.

“…Dr. McWhorter’s presentation is not the dull, dusty stuff of the classroom. It is very much like listening to a very knowledgeable and well-traveled friend with a vast store of knowledge and a quick, sometimes subtle wit…” – WestWatcher, The Great Courses Plus learner.

International Phonetic Alphabet Tutorials and Sites (Various)

Thank you to Elham for finding these useful resources to help you learn the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).

• IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) Vowel Pronunciation by polýMATHY on YouTube
• IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) Consonant Pronunciation by polýMATHY on YouTube
• International Phonetic Association (IPA) Chart Website
• IPA Consonants

Why You Should Trust Us

Class Central, a search engine for online courses, has helped 80 million learners find their next course. We’ve been combing through online education for more than a decade to aggregate a catalog of 250,000 online courses and 250,000 reviews written by our users. And we’re online learners ourselves: combined, the Class Central team has completed over 400 online courses, including online degrees.

I’ve completed over 200 online courses in a variety of topics including linguistics.

How We Made Our Picks and Tested Them

Trying to find “the best” can be daunting, even for those of us who love online learning. Here’s how I approached this task.

First, I combed through Class Central’s Catalog to find a variety of free and open courses, some with certificates. You don’t need to enroll in a university to learn about linguistics.

I extracted information from course syllabi and reviews, and compiled their ratings, leveraging the Class Central database with its thousands of course ratings and reviews written by our users as well as available course provider ratings and enrollment and viewing numbers. I watched some course videos to sample courses I hadn’t already taken. Then, I defined the scope for these recommendations. A linguistics course can cover various topics, so I chose top courses from a range of sub-fields.

Ultimately, I used a combination of data and my own judgment to make these picks. I’m confident these recommendations will be a reliable way to learn about linguistics.