French and Linguistics

French and Linguistics is a combination that brings together the study of a major European language and culture with the scientific analysis of how language itself works. French opens access to one of the world's great literary, philosophical, and intellectual traditions, spoken as a first or second language by over 300 million people across Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, and beyond. Linguistics treats language as an object of rigorous inquiry, examining its structure at the levels of sound, grammar, meaning, and use, as well as the ways it varies across individuals, communities, and historical periods.

At Queen Mary University of London, this four-year, full-time programme begins by building your spoken and written French to a new level while introducing the foundations of linguistics, including both the structural properties of language and the social and contextual factors that shape how it is used. As you progress, you will develop deeper competence in French language, literature, and culture alongside more advanced work in linguistics, exploring topics such as phonetics and phonology, syntax, historical language change, and sociolinguistics. Queen Mary's location in east London provides a rich multilingual environment that brings the social dimensions of linguistics to life, and the four-year structure allows for the depth that both disciplines deserve.

Graduates of French and Linguistics pursue careers in education, translation, speech and language therapy, language technology, journalism, the civil service, and international organisations. The linguistic training is particularly valuable in careers involving language education, natural language processing, and language policy, while the French component opens doors wherever French-speaking markets, institutions, or communities are relevant. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in linguistics, French, applied linguistics, or translation, building specialist expertise for research or professional careers.