English Language and Linguistics BA (Hons)

University of Portsmouth

Overview

Language shapes our experience of the world – from our social and emotional lives, to our experience of society, work, politics and culture. Immerse yourself in the nature of spoken and written language, and how it's used in everything from digital communication to forensic investigation.

You'll study how language works, including the relationships between language, the mind, and society, and how language varies through time, place, culture and identity. You'll explore the different ways people use language and what they use it for. Discover methods for analysing spoken and written language, how we learn language and how we teach it.

You'll develop sought-after skills including communication, creativity and critical thinking. You'll be taught by expert researchers and study alongside students within the School of Languages and Applied Linguistics – bringing opportunities to learn from the latest research and build intercultural relationships.

Course highlights

• Discover how the use of language affects perceptions of important contemporary issues, such as gender, sexuality, education and globalisation
• Learn the linguistic skills to spot how language persuades and prejudices people – from what drives social movements on social media, to relationships in the workplace
• Develop the skills employers want, including analysis, criticism, negotiation, argument and problem solving
• Tailor your degree to suit your career ambitions, including options that equip you to work internationally, such as intercultural communication and teaching English as a second language
• Learn from dedicated, expert researchers from the School of Languages and Applied Linguistics who specialise in areas including corpus linguistics, discourse analysis, professional communication, sociolinguistics and translation
• Have the opportunity to build skills in ‘corpus linguistics’ analysis – essential skills in a world where working with 'big data' is the future

You can choose to customise your degree depending on your interests and ambitions, by specialising in English literature or teaching English as a foreign language.

Careers and opportunities

You’ll graduate with specialist expertise in language and linguistics, plus sought-after employability skills including:

• analytical techniques and reasoning
• communicating clearly to diverse audiences
• data collection and interpretation
• developing persuasive, evidence-based arguments
• problem solving

Previous graduates are now applying these skills in a diverse range of sectors and industries. If you decide to pursue a career that’s closely related to your studies, you could apply for jobs in writing, editing or publishing. Or employ your research and analysis skills to go on to postgraduate study, in areas such as speech therapy, communication studies, law and marketing.

Further study in forensic linguistics could open up possible careers in law enforcement, criminal justice or legal firms. You could also develop your linguistic talents to work as a speech therapist or train actors to master different dialects.

What areas can you work in with an English language and linguistics degree?

You could work in any of the following areas:

• advertising
• education
• communication
• media
• marketing
• publishing
• technical writing
• teaching English

Graduate destinations

Previous graduates have gone onto further training and work in various fields, including:

• accountancy
• the armed forces and police
• banking
• research
• journalism
• law
• local government
• health services
• public relations and marketing
• publishing
• speech and language therapy
• teaching

After you leave the University, you can get help, advice and support for up to 5 years from our Careers and Employability service as you advance in your career.