Hispanic Studies and Linguistics

Hispanic studies and linguistics is a combination that brings together the cultural and literary study of the Spanish-speaking world with the scientific analysis of language itself. Hispanic studies encompasses the history, politics, literature, cinema, and cultures of Spain and the hugely diverse countries of Latin America, giving you access to a tradition that spans medieval lyric poetry and the great baroque literature of Spain through to the magical realism of Latin American fiction and contemporary film and cultural production. Linguistics asks complementary questions: not what language says but how it works, how grammatical systems are organised, how language is acquired and changes over time, and how it varies across social groups and geographies.

At Queen Mary in London this four-year full-time programme welcomes students with no prior knowledge of Spanish, making it fully accessible to those who are coming to the language fresh. You will develop practical proficiency in Spanish alongside a deep engagement with Hispanic cultures and with the theoretical frameworks of linguistics. The programme may also give you the opportunity to study Catalan, widening your access to another rich cultural tradition.

The linguistics component develops your ability to analyse language systematically, covering areas such as phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and sociolinguistics, and to apply those tools to the study of Spanish and other languages. London provides a uniquely rich environment for sociolinguistic study, with its extraordinary linguistic diversity offering living material for the analysis of how language varies and changes.

Graduates find careers in translation and interpreting, language teaching, journalism, international business, the diplomatic service, the civil service, publishing, and roles in organisations working across the Spanish-speaking world. The linguistic expertise adds analytical depth that is particularly valued in fields involving language technology, speech and language therapy, and educational policy. Many graduates also continue to postgraduate study in Hispanic studies, linguistics, translation, or education.