English Language & Linguistics BA (Hons)

University of Roehampton

Our BA English Language and Linguistic degree was rated as excellent for the quality of its teaching and for its practical approach to linguistics by the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

If you are intrigued by how meaning is communicated through language or you want to gain a deeper understanding of linguistic structure, this course is perfect for you. You will learn how language works, how sounds combine to form words, and words to form sentences, and how people use language in various contexts and for different purposes. From the spoken to the written, from the internet to politics, you will explore language in all its shapes and sizes.

Linguists are concerned with the formal structure of language and with its functions in society. From the sounds children make to the way people speak to the elderly; from media spin to everyday conversations, the language around us contains hints as to its own development and its role in creating the society we live in. To really understand these implications, this programme takes a lively hands-on approach; we pay attention to 'real language'.

We specialise in both theoretical and socio-linguistics. The programme gives attention to formal and functional aspects of language study, providing grounding in structural analysis (grammar, syntax etc.); however, what makes our approach so distinctive is that the emphasis is placed on the sociolinguistic functions of language.

On the course you will examine the range of different types of language use in contemporary British media such as press, television and radio. You’ll cover topics such as advertising discourse and phone-in talk, as well as news reporting and political interviews. There are also opportunities to apply your knowledge of English language and language learning to critically evaluate techniques used to teach different aspects of English and deal with the practical problem of lesson design.