Spanish and Linguistics

Spanish is one of the world's most widely spoken languages, the official language of over twenty countries across Europe and Latin America, and a language of growing importance in North America and global business. Studying Spanish at university means engaging not just with the mechanics of a language but with an enormously diverse array of literatures, cultures, and societies from medieval Spain to contemporary Latin America. Linguistics, studied alongside Spanish, brings scientific rigour to the question of how language itself works, examining the structures and social dimensions of human communication at a systematic level.

At the University of Edinburgh, this four-year full-time programme takes you to an advanced level in Spanish while giving you a thorough grounding in linguistic analysis. In the Spanish component, you will study the history, literature, and culture of Spanish-speaking societies, reading texts from a wide range of periods and regions and developing both your language skills and your capacity for critical literary and cultural analysis. In linguistics, you will engage with the scientific study of language, examining phonology, grammar, meaning, and the social contexts of language use, and you will have the opportunity to apply linguistic frameworks specifically to the study of Spanish, one of the world's most interesting cases of a language spread across highly varied national and regional contexts.

Spanish and linguistics graduates are well positioned for careers in translation and interpreting, international business, education, journalism, diplomacy, publishing, and the European institutions. Spanish language expertise is particularly valued in roles connected to Latin American markets and to international organisations. The linguistic training strengthens analytical and research skills that are applicable in a wide range of professional and academic contexts, and many graduates continue to postgraduate study in linguistics, Spanish studies, translation, or related fields.