English Language and Linguistics BA Honours

On this course you will study one of the key aspects of being human: our ability to use language. You will examine how languages differ and what elements they share, as well as developing your knowledge of the historical and cultural aspects of the English Language in particular. The course provides a rare opportunity to combine both in-depth formal linguistic study with a consideration of the ways in which the use of English language reflects its social context. As a result, the course nurtures skills in research and analytic skills at the same time as enhancing your own abilities with the English language. The course appeals to students interested in language in general and the fundamental role it plays in our understanding of the world around us, and in the nature of the English language and its variants. It includes practical and theoretical modules that are invaluable for students interested in teaching English, speech therapy, editing, journalism, or advertising, but helps to prepare you for any career that requires an advanced, sophisticated use of language. The degree is particularly strong in improving the kind of transferable communicative and cognitive skills that employers need, and which will prepare you for life-long personal and professional development.

You develop your knowledge and understanding of how the English language works in terms of its structure, how it has changed over time, and the ways in which it is employed in different spoken and written contexts. Your knowledge of English will be informed and contextualised by your wider study of language as a human faculty. You examine what human languages have in common and how they vary in terms of their grammatical structures and their sound systems.

You can study two option modules each year from a range of modules in the school and across the University, including Polylang. In Year 3 you complete a dissertation in a topic chosen by you, with one-to-one support from your supervisor, and there is the opportunity to take a work placement module.