Created in 2000, the Institute of Linguistics is the reincarnation of the Faculty of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics, which had been established within RSUH in 1992. The IL is now subdivided into the Faculty of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics and the Section for Oriental Studies, and includes four departments (Theoretical and Applied Linguistics, European Languages, Ancient Languages, Oriental Languages) and three research centres (Fundamental and Applied Oriental Studies, Linguistic Typology and Computer Linguistics). The students, of whom there are around 700 at the moment, can choose between six educational programmes and have a chance to get a study placement in various universities of Europe and Asia. Emphasis is placed not only on giving the students grounding in linguistics per se, but also on in-depth study of foreign languages, both living and ancient, of which there are currently around 20 on offer. The IL houses various conferences, summer schools, academic competitions for schoolchildren; it is also the home of the Moscow Journal of Linguistics. Its staff take part in various research projects, develop new computer technologies, take students on expeditions to gather linguistic data, write monographs and publish award-winning textbooks.
