Modern Languages and Linguistics

专业详情

This course allows students to study one modern language in depth together with linguistics, the study of language itself. Part of your course will consist of developing your practical language skills to a high level, and you will also explore the literature and culture of the relevant language (see Modern Languages). 

In your study of linguistics, you will be introduced to the analysis of the nature and structure of human language (including topics such as how words and sentences are formed, how we make and hear sounds, how languages change and vary and how language is organised in the brain) and you will apply these ideas to the study of your chosen language.

The University has particular expertise in general linguistics, phonetics, phonology, syntax and semantics, psycholinguistics and in the history and structure of many individual European languages and language families. All these combine to offer a mutually reinforcing package: on the one hand the theoretical study of what human language is and how it works; on the other, the detailed study of issues of language structure and change applied to the specific language you are studying. You will find a wide range of options available, allowing you to concentrate on those areas you find most exciting.

Undergraduate students have access to the Taylor Institution Library, the biggest research library in Britain devoted to modern languages, as well as to the University’s central library, the Bodleian, and many online resources. The University’s well-equipped Language Centre has study materials specifically tailored to the needs of Modern Language students.