Linguistics (M.Phil. / P.Grad.Dip.)

Overview

Course Overview

Linguistics is the systematic study of human language. It has its roots in antiquity, though the twentieth century saw an explosion of research and the development of new theories and approaches. Linguistics has become an exciting and vigorous area of study, with strong connections to many fields including psychology, sociology, anthropology, cognitive science, computer science, and philosophy.

Language is complex, and linguistics attempts to describe and explain the full range of that complexity, especially speech sounds, the grammar of words and sentences, and how meaning relates to words, grammar and context.

The M.Phil. in Linguistics has been running for nearly 30 years, offering a leading programme you can tailor to your interests; flexible design shaped by your interests in Linguistics; small class size, taught by experts; and a wide choice of elective modules offered each year.

Is This Course For Me?

Our students — who are not expected to have any background in linguistics — have in some cases come from language professions such as translating, interpreting, teaching, speech and language therapy, and publishing, or directly from undergraduate degrees which include language-centred elements such as English, modern languages and literature, anthropology, classics, psychology, and sociology. In other cases, they have simply been people who are intrigued by language and wish to study it in a more systematic fashion. In general, the Linguistics programme is likely to appeal to students with a talent for careful, systematic argument, and who wish to understand the mysteries of language.

Career Opportunities

Our alumni have followed career paths in various professions, with many opting to pursue research at a higher level. For some, Ph.D. research has led to an academic career.

Course Structure

This course can be taken full-time across one year or part-time across two years.

Each term, full-time students take two core modules and one elective, for a total of four core modules and two electives across the year.

Part-time students take one core module each term in their first year. In their second year, they take the remaining two core modules. They take one elective each year.

Course Content

Students take four core modules: Describing Grammar. Describing Meaning; Describing the Sounds of Languages; and Experimental Analysis of Sound Systems. 

Students then choose two electives from the following menu of electives modules: Corpus Linguistics; Computer Assisted Language Learning; Linguistic Pragmatics; Multilingualism; Psychology of Language Learning and Teaching; Speech and Language Technology in Education; and Technology, Language, and Communication.

In the final phase of the course, students prepare and write a 15,000-word dissertation

Click here for further information on modules/subjects.