Linguistics

Linguistics is the scientific study of language, one of the most distinctive and fundamental capacities of the human mind. It asks what language is, how it works, how it is acquired, how it varies across communities and cultures, how it changes over time, and how the study of language informs our understanding of the mind, society and human cognition. The discipline is both empirically rigorous and theoretically rich, drawing on cognitive science, philosophy, anthropology, computer science and psychology to build an account of the most complex symbolic system that has yet evolved in the natural world.

At the University of York you will explore language through the intersection of theory and data, developing a systematic scientific understanding of the structures and systems of language alongside hands-on engagement with linguistic evidence. You will study phonetics and phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and pragmatics, as well as applied areas including sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, language acquisition, computational linguistics and the history of language. The programme runs full time over three years and includes a sandwich year, a year abroad and work-placement experience, giving you substantial opportunity to apply linguistic knowledge in professional and international contexts and to develop the personal and professional skills that strengthen your employability.

You will develop skills in systematic data analysis, formal linguistic description, empirical research design, critical evaluation and academic writing. These are transferable intellectual skills that employers across many sectors recognise.

Graduates from linguistics programmes pursue careers in speech and language therapy (with further professional training), computational linguistics, natural language processing, teaching, publishing, communications, lexicography, policy research and language technology. Postgraduate study in linguistics, applied linguistics, TESOL, speech and language therapy or computational linguistics is also a well-established route.