Choose a topic from the linguistics field. Be sure that the topic is narrow enough that it can be thoroughly addressed before the paper is due. Broad topics include sociology, religion, gender studies and linguistics history. Though these topics may need to be narrowed by your assigned essay mandates, they offer a good place to begin brainstorming.
Research information on your topic. Depending on requirements set forth by the grader, you may consider looking for information in books, encyclopedias, online and from experts. Linguistics papers often need to be heavily documented. Search for both primary and secondary sources on your chosen topic.
Form a hypothesis. A hypothesis is an interrogative statement regarding your expectations for your paper. A linguistics paper hypothesis should include what you think you may write about and try to prove. For example, if I think that the historical establishment of the use of contractions is extremely significant in American language, I may be able to form an hypothesis.
Develop an outline for your paper. Include your thesis statement, which is your proposed answer to the hypothesis. Also include your research, your subtopics and your main points. This will help to keep you on track as you write.
Write the paper and follow the outline. It should adhere to requirements for formatting and page length set forth by the paper grader. Linguistics papers need to be not only well researched, but clearly written, especially since language is the subject of choice.
Revise and rewrite the paper as necessary, checking for grammatical errors and content inconsistencies.