Portuguese and English Language

Portuguese is spoken by around 260 million people worldwide and is the official language of nine countries across Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia. It underpins an extraordinarily diverse set of cultures and literatures, and its global spread makes it one of the most valuable languages a graduate can bring to an international career. Studying it alongside English language and linguistics gives you two complementary lenses: one for the history, culture, and structure of Portuguese, the other for understanding how the English language has evolved and continues to function as a global medium of communication.

At the University of Edinburgh, this flexible joint honours programme allows you to study Portuguese in its cultural context while also exploring the history and diversity of English. You will develop your Portuguese proficiency across all four skills, engaging with literary, historical, and contemporary texts, and building the critical framework to analyse language as a cultural and social phenomenon. The English language strand will take you into areas such as historical linguistics, language change, sociolinguistics, and discourse analysis.

The programme runs over four years full-time and leads to an MA (Hons) degree.

Graduates of programmes combining Portuguese and English language go on to careers in translation and interpreting, international business, diplomacy, journalism, education, and cultural mediation. The linguistic breadth and analytical training you acquire are valued across the public and private sectors, and Portuguese-speaking markets in Brazil, Portugal, Mozambique, and Angola offer particular opportunities for internationally minded graduates. Many students also pursue postgraduate study in linguistics, translation, cultural studies, or language education.