Course summary

Linguistics is the scientific study of the human capacity for language, a trait which distinguishes our lineage from that of the (other) great apes. Humans can uniquely express a potentially infinite number of thoughts using finite means, and how the brain is able to accomplish this is a fascinating and difficult problem. The BSc Linguistics programme allows students to focus on theoretical, experimental and data science approaches to analysing the human language ability. Studying the BSc Linguistics at York will allow you to explore the questions that are central to the study of language and take you on an exhilarating journey of discovery, guided by some of the world's foremost experts. You will learn the basic facts about language and its structure and progress to the cutting edge of current research in large-scale linguistic comparison and the relevance of brain imaging in constructing linguistic theories. You will learn about the sound systems of languages, their morphology and syntax, how meaning is built and how we can go, step by step, from the smallest aspect of sound to the meaning of a whole discourse. You will learn to deal with controversial proposals, weigh up the evidence and the quality of the arguments and evaluate hypotheses.