Linguistics BA(Hons)

International equivalencies

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Why study with us? 

• Your tutors’ active research profiles keep course content at the cutting edge of advancements in the field. You’ll be part of a vibrant, research-active programme where our teaching team create a dynamic and supportive environment. 
  
  
• Taking option modules means that you can tailor your degree to your individual interests or career ambitions and create a unique pathway to suit you. 
  
  
• This degree provides good grounding for many different industries including publishing and journalism, speech and language therapy, teaching, and is a solid foundation for further study or research. 
  
  
• You’ll study the relationship between language and the mind, and language and society, going beyond the confines of your own discipline to help you see how linguistics relates to other fields. 
  
  
• In the first year you’ll ground your studies with an introduction to the three main sub-disciplines of linguistics: structure (morphology and syntax – the study of how words and sentences are formed); meaning (semantics and pragmatics – the study of linguistic meaning and meaning in use); and sound (phonetics and phonology – the study of the speech sounds and how the sound systems of different languages work).
  
  
• You have the opportunity to undertake a year abroad in year three, extending your degree to four years. We have Erasmus agreements in place with universities across Spain, Belgium, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands and Austria.
  
  
• Usual contact time is nine hours per week and course is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars and workshops. Tutors regularly offer small group and individual tutorials, and all modules are supported by the university’s online learning environment.

Year 1

In the first year, you will develop an understanding of the basic concepts and modes of analysis focusing particularly on the four structural approaches to linguistics: phonetics, phonology, morphology and syntax.

Studying language acquisition and development will give you an insight into the processes at work when we acquire our mother tongue. You will also be introduced to essential aspects of the study of semantics (meaning) and pragmatics (use), which then become the key building blocks of your degree.

Modules

• General Linguistics 1: Phonetics and Phonology
• General Linguistics 2: Morphology and Syntax
• Introduction to Semantics
• Introduction to Pragmatics
• Language Acquisition and Development
• The Structure and Grammar of English

Our courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis in order to make sure that what you learn with us is relevant and that your course enables you to develop appropriate skills. When you apply to study with us, we will inform you of any new developments in your chosen programme through our applicant portal.

Year 2 

Year 2 introduces the study of meaning and different approaches to analysing grammatical structures. It will also provide you with essential tools in skills such as data gathering and analysis and professional knowledge through exploring linguistics as the scientific study of language and its link to psychology, the use of language corpora and the analysis of written and spoken discourse. You will also have an opportunity to address a range of theoretical controversies and evaluate language data in relation to theories.

Modules

• Linguistics and Grammar: Concepts and analyses
• Semantics
• Mind and Language
• Deconstruction: Language, theory, society

Options*

• Multilingualism
• Sign Language Linguistics
• Language, Identity and Power
• Researching English Language Use
• Image and Text: The language of comics and graphic novels
• Regional Englishes
• Introduction to Journalism
• Creative Writing
• Queer Writing
• Television Studio Production
• American Literature 1850–1960
• Photography: From painting with light to zeros and ones
• Documentary Filmmaking: Theory and practice

You can also choose option modules from across our humanities and arts subjects. 

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Final year 

In your final year, you will have opportunities to critically evaluate linguistic theories in your areas of interest and specialisation. You will examine the content and explanatory potential of a number of theoretical frameworks that have been proposed to explain language use in context.

You will also be writing your dissertation on a chosen topic in linguistics which you will have had an opportunity to study in depth throughout your degree. This piece of work will be a culmination of your undergraduate experience and a reflection of your expertise in linguistics.

Modules

• Language, Philosophy, Mind
• Non-truth-conditional Semantics
• Pragmatics, Meaning and Truth
• Dissertation

Options*

• Approaches to the Study of Meaning
• Language, Culture and Ideology
• Community Placement: Theory and practice
• Russian Literature and Culture
• Literature and Philosophy
• Culture Wars: Revisiting the great divide
• Images of War
• Autobiography and the Screen

You can also choose option modules from across our humanities and arts subjects. 

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Watch students talking about their experiences of the Community Placement module.

Staff profile 

Dr Jelena Timotijevic, course leader

An expert in the fields of philosophy of language and contrastive linguistics, Jelena's teaching and research interests focus on contextualism as a philosophical movement within philosophy of language, as well as grammar and modality in English and German.

Location

Campus where this course is taught

Accommodation

Maps

Accommodation

University building

Falmer campus