Course summary

The single honours English Language and Linguistics degree gives you a solid foundation in the study of language and linguistics, and trains you in how to apply key concepts and techniques to the many real-life contexts in which language is used. Your first year core modules cover the key concepts and techniques that underlie the study of English and other languages: descriptive patterns in the sounds and grammatical structures of language, language variation, linguistic theory, and historical linguistics. You'll learn the methodologies and approaches that linguists in these fields employ and their applications outside of academia. How you choose to build on this foundation throughout the remainder of your degree is up to you: the optional modules you choose in your second and third year will give you the freedom to build your course in the direction you choose. In second year, for example, we offer modules in sociolinguistics, language acquisition, historical linguistics and earlier forms of English, and language form and structure, such as intermediate phonetics, phonology, and syntax. Furthermore, you can choose modules that deal with language and persuasion or language and cognition, among many others. Your third year will allow you to further specialise your interests in topics that inspire you with advanced, specialist modules in areas like language and gender, language attitudes and perceptions, advanced linguistic theory, the psychology of language, and historical pragmatics, among others. You'll also have the choice to pursue a one-term research project or year-long dissertation, in which you conduct research on a topic of your choice, supported by a staff adviser. Because language is used in every facet of human life, English language and linguistics links to every other field of study, and leads to many career options. In addition to the modules that are part of your degree programme, each year you'll have the option to choose from a set of guided module options from other degree courses, ranging from literary linguistics, literature, and creative writing to modern languages, human communication sciences, psychology, computer science, and mathematics. The School of English also runs dual degrees which allow you to split your course with another subject. Through the Centre for Linguistic Research which we co-coordinate, Sheffield's English Language and Linguistics course has interdisciplinary research links to staff and students in these other departments, and we encourage you to explore the area of language you are most passionate about.