Program Overview

What is the range of sounds found in human languages? Which of those sounds are used by English to construct words? How are words combined to form meaningful sentences in English, and are the same patterns of combination found in other languages? How does society and social pressure affect the way we speak? How do different varieties of English evolve? These are some of the questions you will address in the course.

Language is central to all human activity from important negotiations between nation states to spontaneous conversations in cafés. Through your study of language, you come to understand the nature of human social life.

Foundational modules in the first and second year will teach you how to analyse linguistic sound systems, word structure, sentence structure, meaning and language use, and apply your knowledge to the analysis of English. You will then be able to make informed choices about areas of English or Linguistics you want to study in greater depth through study options, such as:

• Varieties of English
• Phonetics
• Language, Mind and Communication
• Conversation and Social Interaction
• Child Language Acquisition
• American Languages

We are a leading UK university for language and linguistics research (REF 2014), a place where talented students become part of an academic community in which the majority of research is rated ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’, placing us firmly within the top 10 departments in the UK. You have an opportunity to study different kinds of linguistics from structural linguistics to applied and experimental linguistics.

Study abroad

Your education extends beyond the university campus. We support you in expanding your education through offering the opportunity to spend a year or a term studying abroad at one of our partner universities. The four-year version of our degree allows you to spend the third year abroad or employed on a placement abroad, while otherwise remaining identical to the three-year course.

Studying abroad allows you to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are mature, adaptable, and organised.

If you spend a full year abroad you'll only pay 15% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year. You won't pay any tuition fees to your host university