Diving into the World of Languages

French fries not only help sate your hunger; they could also help you learn Chinese. This is because their baton shape can be used to form Chinese characters, as discovered by Seraina Betschart when she got a Chinese fellow student to explain some principles of her native language over lunch. The two language enthusiasts have been enrolled on the Master’s program in Evolutionary Language Science since fall 2025.

The game with the French fries was not just for fun, but for mutual benefit. The Chinese student was asking Seraina Betschart for help with a coding task as she wanted to analyze an aspect of the Chinese language using a computer program. This was no problem for Betschart, who has a Bachelor’s degree in computational linguistics. But to be able to help her classmate, Betschart first needed to better understand the structure of the Chinese language – which is where the French fries came in.

The lunch was a win-win: the Chinese student received the support she needed and Seraina Betschart welcomes any opportunity to learn more about languages. While in other people, learning another language sounds more like a half-hearted New Year’s resolution, it is a core part of this 28-year-old’s life. Besides all of Switzerland’s national languages, she also started learning Estonian a few years ago – a language from a completely different family for a change. The language she currently wants to learn next is Arabic.

In other respects too, Seraina Betschart is keen to learn as much as possible about languages: how did human language develop? What’s the difference between animal communication and human languages? And how will we talk to each other and to machines in future in the age of digitalization and artificial intelligence? These are precisely the questions at the heart of the Master’s program in Evolutionary Language Science, which was launched at the University of Zurich in the 2025 Fall Semester. The two-year program is designed as a single-subject Master’s without any minor subjects. It is run by the Institute for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution at UZH.

The word “interdisciplinary” is particularly apt, as the program covers a broad range of topics and is equally broad in terms of the disciplines it covers. Linguistic research at the institute has been taking place for years in close collaboration with biologists at UZH. For example, a joint study is being conducted into the extent to which the languages of the world have evolved in parallel with human genes.

“Through the new Master’s program, we are once again taking cooperation with other disciplines to a completely new level – including in teaching,” says program director Paul Widmer. Nine UZH disciplines are involved, from philosophy and mathematics to computer science and brain research. Students also acquire digital skills, such as coding. “This is a degree program with an interdisciplinary breadth that you probably won’t find at any other university in the world,” says Widmer.

The students’ backgrounds are also diverse. In this first edition, there is a small group of nine students. Their native languages are German, Chinese, Hindi and English. They also bring different perspectives and knowledge from the subjects they studied at Bachelor’s level. Some studied linguistics, others psychology, history, or even computational linguistics – like Seraina Betschart.

For Betschart, the disciplinary diversity was the main reason she opted for the program. “I’m keen to add a scientific perspective to the linguistic and computer-oriented approach from my Bachelor’s degree.” It’s impressive, she says how the questions and methods consistently feed into and build on one another. For example, a behavioral researcher came to a class to report on experiments being conducted using machine learning to decode the language of Bonobo primates.

Both teaching staff and students are exploring new ground through the program. “In every session, we need to ask questions and figure out what prior knowledge the students have,” says Piera Filippi, scientific coordinator for the program. Peer-to-peer exchange is key, which is why everyone needs to make an effort to communicate clearly,” says Filippi. The goal is to ensure a shared understanding of the concepts, methods and objectives across all the participating disciplines.

Another challenge of the new program is striking the right balance between the breadth of subject areas and the necessary depth. “By the time they complete the program, participants should understand the core concepts of all the participating disciplines, but also set clear priorities in their study,” says Filippi. They are therefore asked to choose two focus areas and to combine them in their Master’s thesis.

Betschart, who is in the first semester of the Master’s, doesn’t yet know what her focus areas will be. But with her prior knowledge of computer science and mathematics, she can imagine taking a certain direction, namely comparing languages and their historical evolution using data analyses. But first of all, what she wants to do is gain an overview of the wealth of issues, disciplines and research approaches. “The challenge is to put the individual pieces together to see the bigger picture – like a puzzle,” says Betschart.

Students are not left to their own devices. “Because the program is new and unusual, the support we provide to students is more intensive,” says coordinator Filippi. We conduct one-to-one sessions with students to help them choose the right course modules and later to figure out a question for their Master’s thesis.

The students are also well integrated into research. It helps that the “Evolving Language” National Center of Competence in Research is based at the Institute for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution. This allows students to be involved in interdisciplinary research projects early on.

Seraina Betschart doesn’t know yet what path she wants to take after she finishes her studies. But she hopes that her future job will offer opportunities for interdisciplinary working. Meanwhile, program director Paul Widmer says: “The job market first needs to get to know the new study program and understand the unique skills it gives students.” There are so many possibilities. Graduates of the program are trained in interdisciplinary collaboration, so they will be strong team players with experience of dealing with complex challenges. The possible professional applications are broad, ranging from academic careers in higher education to jobs in companies involved in language learning, for example.