Linguistics BA Honours Newcastle University

Explore how language works and how it's structured, from the physical properties of speech to how languages change over time.

Our Linguistics BA Honours degree focuses on developing your understanding of how language works, how we communicate, and the growth of language in the brain.

You'll explore linguistics in the context of English alongside other languages. You'll build a firm base of skills and knowledge. This will allow you to pursue many career paths - from journalism or data science to teaching or further postgraduate study.

In your first year, you’ll study a foreign language, modern or ancient, alongside Linguistics. Throughout your degree, you'll also follow a cutting-edge programme shaped by the research specialisms of our world-leading staff. You'll explore the latest ideas and most exciting areas of linguistics, such as:

• computational linguistics
• language variation and change
• psycholinguistics
• theoretical linguistics

At the end of this course, you'll become a confident and competent professional. You will become an expert in the scientific study of language, including sound systems, structure, and social context.

Study abroad

You can study abroad for one semester in your second year as part of this degree. In Europe we have links with:

• Ghent University, Belgium
• Leipzig University, Germany
• Groningen University, Netherlands
• Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands

We also have links with universities in other parts of the world, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and the USA, including, but not limited to:

• Monash University, Australia
• University of Sydney, Australia
• McGill University, Canada
• University of Hong Kong
• University of Vermont, USA

Work placement

During your degree, you’ll have multiple opportunities to undertake a meaningful work placement. In your second and third years, you may choose to take the Career Development Module which offers academic credit for 50 hours of placement. You can choose to carry out your placement via part-time work, volunteering or in a local school. You will be assessed through a mixture of written work, presentations, and professional skills assessment.

In addition, you'll have the option to spend 9 to 12 months on a work placement with University support from our dedicated Careers team to help you secure your dream placement in the UK or abroad. Work placements take place between stages 2 and 3.

You'll gain first-hand experience working in the sector, putting your learning into practice, and developing your professional expertise. Previous placements have been in a range of sectors, including:

• Journalism and Broadcasting
• Sustainable Energy
• Politics
• Digital Media and Marketing
• Education
• Finance
• Museum and Heritage
• Travel and Tourism

If you choose to take a work placement, it will extend your degree by a year. Placements are subject to availability.

• Global Top 125 University - QS World University Rankings 2023
• Top 150 for Linguistics - QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022
• Top 135 for Arts and Humanities - QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022
• 65% increase in research power since 2014 – Research Excellence Framework 2021
• 42% of our research is classified as 4* world-leading research – Research Excellence Framework 2021
• 5th in the UK – Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023 (Linguistics category)
• 1st in the UK and 8th in the world for sustainable development – Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2022
• Global Top 140 University - Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2023

Stage 1

Your first year lays the foundation for analysing and describing language, focusing on topics such as word and sentence structure (morphology and syntax) and the sounds and sound systems of language (phonetics and phonology).

Alongside your Linguistics modules, you will also choose one foreign language from a choice of French, German, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Latin or Ancient Greek.

You’ll have the option to study your chosen language at the beginner or intermediate level, depending on your previous experience.

Compulsory Modules

• The Nature of Language 20
• Introduction to the Structure of Language 1: Syntax and Phonology 20
• Introduction to the Structure of Language 2: Morphology and Meaning 20
• Language Variation and Change: Dealing with Data 20

Optional Modules

• Level B (HE Intermediate) French 20
• Level B (HE Intermediate) German 20
• Introduction to Linguistics 20
• Level B (HE Intermediate) Spanish 20

Stage 2

You will develop your knowledge of core aspects of grammar and sound patterns and how these apply to a range of languages. You'll broaden your understanding of language study by exploring the social context in which languages are learned, used and developed over time.

Compulsory Modules

• Phonological Theory 20
• Syntactic Theory 20

Optional Modules

• Career Development for second-year students 20
• Introduction to Child and Adult Language Acquisition 20
• Sociolinguistics 20
• Early English: Texts, Patterns and Varieties 20
• Speakers as Wordsmiths: the creation of new words in present-day English 20
• Experimental Methods in Linguistics 20
• Multilingualism 20
• Linguistic Controversies 20
• Pragmatics 20
• Overseas Exchange (Semester 1) 60
• Overseas Exchange (Semester 2) 60

Stage 3

You will develop your own interests by choosing from topics linked to your lecturers' research specialisms. These include syntactic and phonological theory, low-education second language and literary acquisition, language origins and evolution, child language acquisition and language change.

You will also undertake an independent project, leading your own research in close collaboration with a faculty supervisor.

Optional Modules

• Career Development for final year students 20
• Introduction to Child and Adult Language Acquisition 20
• Sociolinguistics 20
• Early English: Texts, Patterns and Varieties 20
• Speakers as Wordsmiths: the creation of new words in present-day English 20
• Experimental Methods in Linguistics 20
• Multilingualism 20
• Linguistic Controversies 20
• Topics in Phonological Theory 20
• English Grammar through Time 20
• Language in the City 20
• Extended Study 1: Linguistics and English Language 20
• Extended Study 2: Linguistics and English Language 20
• Dissertation: Linguistics and English Language 40
• The History of Linguistic Ideas 20
• Language and Ageing 20
• Comparative Syntax: English in a cross-linguistic context 20
• Second Language Acquisition 20
• Pragmatic Theory 20
• Child Language Acquisition 20

English Language and Linguistics students acquire a range of valuable skills which equip them to pursue diverse career paths.

Your training can be used in:

• teaching English as a foreign language
• publishing
• journalism
• advertising, branding and marketing
• information services and data science

You will gain skills such as critical reasoning and problem-solving, project and data management, oral and written communication, collaboration and independent research.

Our degrees provide excellent preparation for a wide number of professions. With further training, our graduates have also become:

• lexicographers
• translators and interpreters
• speech and language therapists
• social researchers
• legal sector workers (including forensic linguists)

Employability

Employability and engagement with the wider world go hand-in-hand in this degree.

Many of our modules, particularly in Stage 3, model their assessments on the kind of tasks you might be employed to do:

• constructing marketing briefs
• drafting website copy
• curating exhibitions
• designing experiments
• coding websites
• analysing data
• writing a clear and persuasive argument

Beyond our modules, there are plenty of extracurricular opportunities. These range from freelance work for Newcastle’s student newspaper to paid internships in the department.

In particular, the Newcastle Centre for Literary Arts hires students to work on everything from event management to app design.