Linguistics
Why study Linguistics at Emmanuel College?
Linguistics is the systematic study of language, a crucial part of what it means to be human. You will be able to study a diverse range of fascinating areas ranging from the sounds of speech through grammar and meaning to the interfaces of language with psychology and society. Combining elements of both sciences and humanities, you will be exposed to a particularly broad range of methods and interests. As a student of Linguistics at Emmanuel, you will be part of a small but supportive community with plenty of opportunities to benefit from living and working alongside students of other subjects as well as studying in a close-knit cohort of Linguistics students across the University.
How will my day be organized?
You will have one or two lectures on most weekdays, organised centrally by the University. In the first year these will be in four areas: sounds and words; structures and meanings; language, brain and computers; and language variation and change. Second and third year options build further on these areas and there are also opportunities at this later stage to study the linguistics of particular languages. Third year students write a dissertation on a topic of their choice. In addition to the lectures, the College also funds supervisions through which you will explore the material in more depth.
What might a typical day studying Linguistics at Emmanuel College look like?
Apart from lectures, most of your time will be spent preparing for the supervisions. In first year you will have three or four of these a week, in groups of four students (including students from other colleges). In second and third years you will typically have two supervisions a week in groups of two. Supervisions will be taught by the College Director of Studies or by other staff from the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics. You will prepare work in advance of the supervision and receive feedback on this from your supervisor. Assignments mostly involve analysing linguistic data or writing essays. Reading lists will be provided: books and other resources are easily available online and in the College library, as well as in the Faculty and University libraries. You can choose to work in your own room, in the College library and other College workspaces (such as Fiona’s Cafe) or outside of College.
What qualities do successful Linguistics students have?
Successful students do not need to be well-grounded in Linguistics before applying, though it is important to show keen interest in the subject. We are looking for students with strong abilities in analysing language data, and who are able to not only to read widely and deeply but also to apply critical thought to what they read. Over the course of the three years you will develop these skills as well as developing your writing abilities (e.g. through essays). We don’t have any particular preferences for the subjects you’ve studied at school and accept people with a range of academic backgrounds, from foreign languages and English language through psychology to sciences and mathematics – all of which can provide important skills for studying Linguistics at degree level.
Where could a Linguistics degree lead?
Linguistics students pursue a variety of career paths. These include postgraduate study and work in areas closely related to Linguistics (such as speech and language therapy or computational linguistics) but also a wide range of other options. The particular mix of skills developed in the Cambridge Linguistics degree – analytical skills alongside research and writing skills – provide a strong basis for employment in an extensive selection of jobs.