Linguistics and French

Linguistics and French is a combination that joins the scientific study of language with advanced proficiency and cultural knowledge in one of the world's major languages. Linguistics addresses language as a systematic human capacity: how sounds, words and sentences are structured, how meaning is constructed and communicated, how languages vary socially and geographically, how they are acquired by children and how they change over time. French gives you access to a language spoken by over 300 million people across five continents, a tradition of literary and philosophical brilliance, and a culture that has exerted profound influence on European and global intellectual life.

At Manchester, which has research strengths in both linguistics and modern languages, this four-year programme includes a sandwich year and work placement opportunities. You will study linguistic theory across phonology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, sociolinguistics and psycholinguistics, applying those frameworks to the analysis of French and other languages, and develop your French to an advanced level through language courses, literary and cultural study, and extended use of the language in professional contexts. The sandwich year or placement gives you time in a French-speaking environment or a professional role using French, significantly strengthening your fluency and your professional experience.

The typical entry tariff is 136 UCAS points.

Graduates work in translation and interpreting, language teaching, speech and language therapy (with further study), computational linguistics, publishing, journalism, diplomacy, international organisations, and the many sectors where advanced language skills and analytical understanding of language are jointly valued. The combination of linguistic science and French cultural competence is relatively unusual in the graduate labour market and is valued by employers seeking candidates with both precision and cross-cultural communication skills. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in linguistics, applied linguistics, French or translation.