Bachelor's degree

In Cambridge

Price on request

Description

  • Type

    Bachelor's degree

  • Location

    Cambridge

  • Start date

    Different dates available

Overview Linguistics at Cambridge Linguistics is the systematic study of human language. Superficially, there’s huge variation among the world’s languages, and linguists not only describe the diverse characteristics of individual languages but also explore properties which all languages share and which offer insight into the human mind. The study of linguistics draws on methods and knowledge from a wide range of disciplines. For instance, the study of meaning draws on philosophy, the analysis of the speech signal uses methods from physics and engineering, and the study of language acquisition draws on psychology. This variety is one of the things that makes linguistics fascinating: one day you might be poring over a medieval text for evidence of how the grammar of a language has changed, and the next, learning about how the larynx creates sound energy for speech, or how we can record brain responses in a categorisation task. The Department The Department has internationally acknowledged expertise across an unusually wide range of language-related disciplines, both theoretical and applied. Situated within the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages, the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics benefits greatly from colleagues specialising in the linguistics of particular European languages. Additional course costs There are no compulsory additional course costs for Linguistics. However, depending on the topic they choose, some students may incur some additional costs (eg research trips) for their dissertation in Year 3. Full course details are available on the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics website and if you have any queries about resources/materials, please contact the Department (see fact file, right). Changing course Part II of Linguistics is also available to some undergraduates who have successfully completed Part I of another course. It may be taken either as a two-year course or as a one-year course...

Facilities

Location

Start date

Cambridge (Cambridgeshire )
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1 Trumpington Street, CB2 1QA

Start date

Different dates availableEnrolment now open

About this course

Entry Requirements Typical offers require A Level: A*AAIB: 40-41 points, with 776 at Higher Level For other qualifications, see our main Entrance requirements pages. Course requirements Required by all Colleges: no specific subjectsRequired by some Colleges: no specific subjectsUseful preparation: English (Literature or Language), Mathematics, an arts/science mix, a...

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Subjects

  • IT
  • Phonetics
  • English
  • Options
  • Psychology

Course programme

Course Outline Linguistics Course Outline

Linguistics is divided into a one-year Part I and a two-year Part II, and teaching is delivered through a mixture of lectures, supervisions and practical sessions. A typical week involves four hours of lectures, two hours of supervisions (in groups of six students in Part I, and two students in Part II), and one to two hours of practical classes.

Assessment is by written examination, and practical exams in phonetics, as well as a dissertation in the final year.

Year 1 (Part I)

Part I provides a foundation across a wide range of linguistics taught within the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics. You take the following four papers:

  • Sounds and Words – an introduction to phonetics, phonology and morphology
  • Structures and Meanings – looking at topics including sentence construction, semantics and pragmatics
  • Language, Brain and Society – considering language and its relation to cognitive and social phenomena
  • History and Varieties of English – a linguistic analysis of contemporary variation and historical change in English
Year 2 (Part IIA)

Part II allows you to specialise in the areas which particularly interest you. There’s a wide choice of topics to choose from, taught by the Department as well as other faculties and departments.

In Part IIA, you take four papers chosen from a wide range of options dealing with different linguistic levels and perspectives, which may include the following (not all options are offered every year):

  • Phonetics
  • Phonology
  • Morphology
  • Syntax
  • Semantics and Pragmatics
  • Historical Linguistics
  • History of Ideas on Language
  • History of English/History of French
  • Language Acquisition
  • Psychology of Language Processing and Learning
  • Language Typology
Year 3 (Part IIB)

In Part IIB, you take:

  • Linguistic Theory – a general theory paper
  • two further papers from the remaining Part IIA options

For your fourth paper, Part IIB also includes an element of individual research as you write a dissertation of 8,000-10,000 words on a topic of your choice.

For further information about studying Linguistics at the University of Cambridge see the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics website.

Linguistics

Price on request