Undergraduate Language and Linguistics 2026-2027

How does the way we use language shape our lives, and how does the way we live shape the language we use? Moving beyond strict notions of structure, this course explores communication in practice, examining how language works in various contexts and cultures. It addresses contemporary social issues that are principally or partly communicative in nature, challenging common misconceptions and giving students an understanding of the contribution awareness of language can make to numerous fields.

How do we get from Beowulf to ‘bae’? From Chaucer to ‘sashay away’? This course will look at the development of English over the last millennium and beyond, examining language changes in sound, structure and meaning. You will also be introduced to present-day study of English, its spread as a truly global language, and how all of this can add to our understanding of language in the modern world and in the past. 

Language is central to our humanity. Language and society are inextricably linked. Language unites; language divides. This course will develop your understanding of the social nature of language, providing insight into, among other things, the relationship between gender and language, language death and the issue of language policy and planning.

Students will be introduced to a range of conceptions and perspectives on discourse, drawn from disciplines such as linguistics, anthropology, semiotics, social psychology, sociology, and communication studies. They will examine what the study of discourse reveals about the nature of language, social interaction, power relations, and the construction of meaning. They will learn the basic principles of analytical methods for discourse analysis.

Students will also gain practical experience in applying these approaches to a variety of discourses, including political texts, the media, academic writing, literary texts, and advertisements.

Language acquisition is a human feat like no other: accomplished by children in their early years with no apparent effort, but sometimes incredibly difficult for adults. This course looks at how people come to know languages, using existing research in the field and real-life examples to examine stages of linguistic development and theoretical approaches to this hotly debated complex process.  

The course will introduce core concepts in language planning and policy, and will critically examine theories relating to language shift and to methods of reversing language shift.

The course will analyse the impact of language policy on the insular Celtic languages, with particular reference to Welsh, Irish and Scottish Gaelic, and it will critically assess contemporary measures taken to address the decline of these languages. 

In previous courses we have focused on articulatory phonetics, gaining an understanding of how speech sounds are produced in the vocal tract. This course links this knowledge to investigation of acoustic phonetics: the analysis of soundwaves in order to identify different phonetic features. Each week there is a seminar to introduce phonetic theory, followed by a practical in which you will learn how to use freely available software to conduct acoustic analysis of your own and others’ voices.

Students will be introduced to a range of conceptions and perspectives on discourse, drawn from disciplines such as linguistics, anthropology, semiotics, social psychology, sociology, and communication studies. They will examine what the study of discourse reveals about the nature of language, social interaction, power relations, and the construction of meaning. They will learn the basic principles of analytical methods for
discourse analysis.

Students will also gain practical experience in applying these approaches to a variety of discourses, including political texts, the media, academic writing, literary texts, and advertisements.

The course will introduce core concepts in language planning and policy, and will critically examine theories relating to language shift and to methods of reversing language shift.

The course will analyse the impact of language policy on the insular Celtic languages, with particular reference to Welsh, Irish and Scottish Gaelic, and it will critically assess contemporary measures taken to address the decline of these languages. 

In previous courses we have focused on articulatory phonetics, gaining an understanding of how speech sounds are produced in the vocal tract. This course links this knowledge to investigation of acoustic phonetics: the analysis of soundwaves in order to identify different phonetic features. Each week there is a seminar to introduce phonetic theory, followed by a practical in which you will learn how to use freely available software to conduct acoustic analysis of your own and others’ voices.

Language acquisition is a human feat like no other: accomplished by children in their early years with no apparent effort, but sometimes incredibly difficult for adults. This course looks at how people come to know languages, using existing research in the field and real-life examples to examine stages of linguistic development and theoretical approaches to this hotly debated complex process.