MA Linguistics

University of Essex

Postgraduate

In Colchester

£ 6,125 + VAT

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Description

  • Type

    Postgraduate

  • Location

    Colchester

  • Duration

    1 Year

About the course
Study the nuts and bolts of language: sound systems, word structure, sentence structure, and how meaning is conveyed

Learn about the different theories that have been proposed to account for human linguistic ability

In this degree you will learn what human languages share, and where they differ


Our course will interest you if you want a formal and empirical grounding in all core areas of linguistics, and are keen to evaluate the major theoretical approaches in these disciplines


You study topics including:
Theoretical and descriptive phonology
Syntactic theory
Pragmatics
Semantics
Phonetics
Our optional modules are in the related fields of applied linguistics, psycholinguistics and sociolinguistics


We are one of the largest and most prestigious language and linguistics departments in the world, a place where talented students become part of an academic community in which the majority of research is rated ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ (REF 2014), placing us firmly within the top 10 departments in the UK and ranked among the top 150 departments on the planet according to the QS World University Rankings 2016 for linguistics


If you want a global outlook, are interested in human communication, and want to study for a degree with real-world practical value in a world-class department, welcome to Essex


“As a mature student returning to education, I completed both my Bachelors and Masters degrees at Essex before deciding to study for my PhD

Facilities

Location

Start date

Colchester (Essex)
See map
Wivenhoe Park, CO4 3SQ

Start date

On request

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Reviews

Subjects

  • Word
  • Communication Training
  • Phonology
  • Pragmatics
  • Phonetics
  • Semantics
  • Teaching
  • English

Course programme

Example structure
Postgraduate study is the chance to take your education to the next level. The combination of compulsory and optional modules means our courses help you develop extensive knowledge in your chosen discipline, whilst providing plenty of freedom to pursue your own interests. Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field, therefore to ensure your course is as relevant and up-to-date as possible your core module structure may be subject to change.
For many of our courses you’ll have a wide range of optional modules to choose from – those listed in this example structure are, in many instances, just a selection of those available. Our Programme Specification gives more detail about the structure available to our current postgraduate students, including details of all optional modules.
Year 1
MA Dissertation
Syntactic Theory I
Advanced Phonology
Assignment Writing and Dissertation Preparation
Syntactic Theory II
Semantics
First Language Acquisition (optional)
Phonological Development (optional)
Second Language Acquisition and Linguistics Theory (optional)
American Languages (optional)
Varieties of English (optional)
Sentence Processing (optional)
Language Rights (optional)
Language Learning (optional)
English Syntax 1 (optional)
Individual Differences in L2 Learning (optional)
Variationist Sociolinguistic Theory (optional)
Experimental Design and Analysis (optional)
Sociolinguistic Methods 1: Data Collection (optional)
Research Methods I (optional)
English Syntax 2 (optional)
Sociocultural Linguistics (optional)
The Role of Age in Bilingual Development (optional)
Variation in English II (optional)
Sociolinguistic Methods: Data Coding and Analysis (optional)
Research Methods II (optional)
Graduate Research Assignment (optional)
Language Attrition (optional)
Language in Context: From Pragmatics to Conversation Analysis (optional)
Intercultural Communication: communicating across languages and cultures (optional)
Teaching
Teaching methods include lectures, demonstrations and learning by teaching others
We run a weekly departmental seminar, attended by both staff and students
Assessment
Your eight one-term modules are assessed by coursework and you are also assessed on your dissertation
Dissertation
Your 16,000-word dissertation allows you to focus in-depth on your chosen topic from April onwards
Close supervision by a member of staff within our Department
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Additional information

Over the few years I have been here, I have developed a strong interest in linguistics and the staff in my department have been tremendously supportive " Deana Carey, BA English Language and Linguistics 2010, MA English Language and Linguistics 2012, PhD Linguistics Our expert staff Our staff maintain excellent student-staff ratios with capped language-specific seminars In theoretical linguistics, Doug Arnold, Bob Borsley, Louisa Sadler, and Mike Jones work on the structure of sentences, focusing on English and other languages; Andrew Spencer investigates how complex words are created; and Nancy Kula and Wyn Johnson work on sound structure In sociolinguistics, Peter Patrick, Rebecca Clift, Enam Al Wer and Vineeta Chand all work on different aspects of how language varies, and investigate which factors cause such variation Peter is also involved in language rights, and offers expert opinions in asylum cases where language is used to determine origin In applied linguistics, Florence Myles, Monika Schmid, Sophia Skoufaki, Karen Roehr-Brackin, Adela Gánem-Gutiérrez, and Roger Hawkins focus on the learning of second and further languages, whilst Julian Good, Christina Gkonou and Tracey Costley focus on issues to do with the classroom teaching of English as a foreign language In psycholinguistics, Sonja Eisenbeiss, Claire delle Luche and Fang Liu use experimental techniques to understand how children learn language, how adults process language, and what happens when language ability is impaired by brain disorders Specialist facilities An exciting programme of research seminars and other events Our Languages for All programme offers you the opportunity to study an additional language alongside your course at no extra cost Our ‘Visual World’ Experimental Lab records response times and eye movements when individuals are presented with pictures and videos Our Eye-Tracking Lab monitors eye movement of individuals performing tasks Our...

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MA Linguistics

£ 6,125 + VAT

The best Linguistics courses

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