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BA (Hons) English Language and Linguistics University of Portsmouth
Introduction
Language shapes our experience of the world – from our social and emotional lives to our experience of society, work, politics and culture. Immerse yourself in the nature of spoken and written language and how it's used in everything from digital communication to forensic investigation.
You'll study how language works, including the relationships between language, the mind, and society, and how language varies through time, place, culture and identity. You'll explore the different ways people use language and what they use it for. Discover methods for analysing spoken and written language, how we learn the language and how we teach it.
You'll develop sought-after skills, including communication, creativity and critical thinking. You'll be taught by expert researchers and study alongside students within the School of Languages and Applied Linguistics – bringing opportunities to learn from the latest research and build intercultural relationships.
Course highlights
- Discover how the use of language affects perceptions of important contemporary issues, such as gender, sexuality, education and globalisation
- Learn the linguistic skills to spot how language persuades and prejudices people – from what drives social movements on social media to relationships in the workplace
- Develop the skills employers want, including analysis, criticism, negotiation, argument and problem solving
- Tailor your degree to suit your career ambitions, including options that equip you to work internationally, such as intercultural communication and teaching English as a second language
- Learn from dedicated, expert researchers from the School of Languages and Applied Linguistics who specialise in areas including corpus linguistics, discourse analysis, professional communication, sociolinguistics and translation.
- Have the opportunity to build skills in ‘corpus linguistics’ analysis – essential skills in a world where working with 'big data' is the future
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
You may be able to partly or fully fund the costs of your study with a bursary or scholarship. You can use these alongside student loans, and you don't have to pay them back.
Whether you can get a scholarship or bursary depends on your circumstances. So they aren't available to everyone.
These are the scholarships and bursaries we currently offer to home (UK) students. You may also be eligible for some of these scholarships and bursaries if you have refugee status or are seeking asylum.
- The University of Portsmouth Bursary – £750 a year
- Care Leavers Bursary – £1,750 a year
- Stand Alone Bursary – £1,000 a year
- Young Carers Bursary – £500 a year
- Unite Scholarship – a free place in halls
- Greenwich Hospital Bursary – £3,000 a year
- Sport Scholarship
- NHS Learning Support Fund – at least £5,000 a year
- Best Begins Scholarship – £5,000
- Portsmouth Football Club Partnership Scholarship – £3,000 a year towards course fees
- Sanctuary Scholarship
- Sanctuary Language Bursary
Curriculum
Modules
Year 1
Core modules
- How Language Works – 20 credits
- Language, Learning and Teaching– 20 credits
- Language, Society and Mind: An Introduction to Linguistics – 20 credits
- Researching Language and Professional Practice – 40 credits
- Working with Texts – 20 credits
Year 2
Core Modules
- English Forms and Functions – 20 credits
- Meaning in English – 20 credits
Optional modules
- Clinical Linguistics – 20 credits
- Forensic Linguistics - 20 credits
- Intercultural Perspectives on Communication – 20 credits
- Language in Literature: Stylistics – 20 credits
- Managing Across Cultures – 20 credits
- Modern Foreign Language (IWLP) – 20 credits
- News, Discourse, and Media – 20 credits
- Professional Experience - L5 - 20 Credits
- Second Language Acquisition – 20 credits
- TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) – 20 credits
- Trinity Certificate Teaching Practice – 20 credits
Year 3
Core modules
- Dissertation/major Project - Slal – 40 credits
Optional modules
- Work Placement Year – 120 credits
Optional modules
- Creativity in the Language Classroom – 20 credits
- English Through Time – 20 credits
- Englishes in the World – 20 credits
- Gender, Language and Sexuality – 20 credits
- Introduction to Teaching – 20 credits
- Language and Social Media – 20 credits
- Professional Development: Recruiters and Candidates – 20 credits
- Professional Experience L6 – 20 credits
- Researching English Vocabulary – 20 credits
- Spoken Discourse in the Workplace – 20 credits
- Slal Study Abroad (40) – 40 credits
- Written Discourse in the Workplace – 20 credits
Placement year (optional)
After your second year of study, you can choose to do a paid work or research placement year. This lets you put your new skills to work while developing valuable links with employers.
It’s fantastic for your CV and will help you stand out when applying for jobs after graduation.
We’ll help you secure a work placement that fits your aspirations. With mentoring and support throughout your placement, you’ll have our support to get the most from your experience.
Previous placement destinations have included:
- 7 Stars – a media company in London
- Babylangues – a company helping infants and toddlers learn English in France
Career Opportunities
You’ll graduate with specialist expertise in language and linguistics, plus sought-after employability skills including:
- analytical techniques and reasoning
- communicating clearly to diverse audiences
- data collection and interpretation
- developing persuasive, evidence-based arguments
- problem-solving
Previous graduates are now applying these skills in various sectors and industries. If you decide to pursue a career closely related to your studies, you could apply for jobs in writing, editing or publishing. Or employ your research and analysis skills to go on to postgraduate study in areas such as speech therapy, communication studies, law and marketing.
This degree course allows you to explore topics and find areas you're most passionate about and the foundation to pursue these areas after graduation. Further study in forensic linguistics could open up possible careers in law enforcement, criminal justice or legal firms. You could also develop your linguistic talents to work as a speech therapist or train actors to master different dialects.
What areas can you work in with an English language and linguistics degree?
You could work in any of the following areas:
- advertising
- education
- communication
- media
- marketing
- publishing
- technical writing
- teaching English
Graduate destinations
Previous graduates have gone on further training and work in various fields, including:
- accountancy
- the armed forces and police
- banking
- research
- journalism
- law
- local government
- health services
- public relations and marketing
- publishing
- speech and language therapy
- teaching
Ongoing career support – up to 5 years after you graduate
Get experience while you study with support to find part-time jobs, volunteering opportunities and work experience. Towards the end of your degree and after graduation, you'll get 1-to-1 support from our Graduate Recruitment Consultancy to find your perfect role.
Student Testimonials
English Language Requirements
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