Chinese and Linguistics

Chinese and linguistics brings together one of the world's most significant languages with the systematic study of how languages work. Mandarin Chinese is spoken by more people as a first language than any other, and its importance in global commerce, diplomacy, and culture continues to grow. Linguistics provides the analytical tools for understanding not just Chinese but the underlying principles of human language, examining how sounds, words, sentences, and meaning are structured and how they vary across speakers and contexts.

Together these subjects develop linguistic competence and intellectual depth.

At the University of Westminster, this three-year full-time degree develops your Chinese language skills to an advanced level alongside a rigorous grounding in linguistic theory and analysis. You will engage with Chinese language and culture, building fluency in Mandarin as well as cultural understanding of Chinese-speaking societies. In linguistics you will study the structure of language across phonological, grammatical, semantic, and pragmatic levels, and examine questions about language variation, acquisition, and use in social contexts.

A placement or work experience year is built into the programme, and a year abroad is also available, providing sustained immersion in a Chinese-speaking environment that is essential for reaching genuine fluency.

You will graduate with one of the world's most important languages at an advanced level and a principled understanding of how language works, a combination that is genuinely distinctive in the graduate market.

Graduates from Chinese and linguistics programmes work in international business, the diplomatic and foreign services, translation and interpreting, journalism, teaching, publishing, and international organisations. The analytical skills in linguistics are also relevant in applied linguistics, language technology, and academic research. Postgraduate study in linguistics, Chinese studies, or translation studies is a natural continuation for those who want to deepen their expertise.