Linguistics
Course Overview
Linguistics is the systematic study of human language. Superficially, there’s huge variation among the world’s languages, and linguists not only describe the diverse characteristics of individual languages but also explore properties which all languages share and which offer insight into the human mind. The study of linguistics draws on methods and knowledge from a wide range of disciplines. For instance, the study of meaning draws on philosophy, the analysis of the speech signal uses methods from physics and engineering, and the study of language acquisition draws on psychology. This variety is one of the things that makes linguistics fascinating: one day you might be poring over a medieval text for evidence of how the grammar of a language has changed, and the next, learning about how the larynx creates sound energy for speech, or how we can record brain responses in a categorisation task.
The Linguistics Tripos provides the opportunity to concentrate on language as a phenomenon and on the ways languages can be analysed.
At ÃÜÌÒÊÓƵ you will study the core components of linguistic theory, such as phonetics and phonology, syntax and semantics, and you will also make use of knowledge and expertise drawn from disciplines as diverse as computer sciences, philosophy, physics, biology, sociology, psychology and neuroscience. We encourage a balanced approach to developing skills in the discipline, and we have state-of-the-art facilities to enrich your studies by enabling you to put what you have learnt into practice and to conduct your own theoretical or experimental project.
Course Structure
The course lasts three years and is split into three Parts: Part I in the first year, Part IIA in the second year, and Part IIB in the third year.
The First Year
The one-year Part I provides a general introduction to all areas of linguistics, and you take the following introductory papers:
- Li1 Sounds and Words
- Li2 Structures and Meanings
- Li3 Language, Brains and Machines
- Li4 Linguistic Variation and Change
The Second Year
Part II is subdivided into Part IIA and IIB. The two-year Part II allows a degree of specialisation in particular areas. In both years you choose from a wide range of papers including those dealing with different linguistic levels and perspectives.
In both IIA and IIB there is a choice of lectures taught within and beyond the Department, the latter including the linguistics of particular languages. Part IIB includes an element of individual research in the form of a dissertation on a chosen topic.
In Part IIA, you take four optional papers from the and those offered by other departments ('borrowed' papers).
The Third Year
In Part IIB, in addition to choosing two new papers from and 'borrowed' papers from other departments, you will take a compulsory general theory paper () and during the year you will write a dissertation on a topic of your choice.
Students may also switch to Part II of the Linguistics Tripos after successful completion of a Part I in another Tripos. The Linguistics Tripos does not require detailed knowledge of a particular language, and so the course is accessible to those who have a general interest in and knowledge of language.