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Department of Linguistics

MA Linguistics

Duration: One calendar year (full-time), two or three years (part-time, daytime only)

Overview

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Itesh Sachdev

Itesh Sachdev

Convenor

Minimum Entry Requirements: Minimum upper second class honours degree (or equivalent)

Interview Policy: Candidates with ‘non-standard’ qualifications usually invited

Start of programme: September intake only

Mode of Attendance: Full Time or Part Time

Modern linguistics is the scientific study of all aspects of the world’s languages from their sound systems and grammatical structure through to the interaction of language with culture, the study of meaning in language, and the use of language in modern technology. Linguists try to establish what types of structures are shared by different languages and the extent to which language may differ from each other.

MA Linguistics at SOAS is a modular programme which combines the intensive study of the core areas of formal linguistics - phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics - with a choice of options in different areas of the discipline. The programme is run on a modular basis to suit the needs of the following four categories of students: 

  • Those with a degree in linguistics who wish to pursue more regional and language-based study;
  • Those with a degree in linguistics who wish to pursue more research-oriented topics before proceeding to a research degree;
  • Those with little or no previous training in linguistics who wish to acquire a knowledge of the discipline;
  • Those with little or no previous training in linguistics who wish to take the degree as a conversion course before; proceeding to a research degree.

The course can be taken full time over one calendar year or part time over two or three years (daytime only.) The taught part of the course consists of core lectures which introduce basic concepts, theory and methodology; and additional seminars which extend the core material into other areas. A 10,000-word dissertation written over the summer offers students the opportunity to develop original research in an area of special interest. 

MA Linguistics is for students who would like to acquire general postgraduate-level training in formal linguistics (perhaps as preparation for further training or research).

For more information about the MA Linguistics, please download the 2012/13 Linguistics MA Handbook.

Structure

The MA Linguistics consists of three components: core courses, option courses and dissertation research.

MA Linguistics

This track is for students who would like to acquire general postgraduate-level training in formal linguistics (perhaps as preparation for further training or research). The core courses are:

  • Phonology (Masters) and Advanced Phonology (0.5 unit each), are intended to introduce students to the general principles and properties which characterise (i) possible sound systems in human languages and (ii) the structures and processes which build words and determine their realisation. Topics covered include: the scope of phonology and morphology; theoretical foundations; the nature of phonological and morphological representations – units, constituents and structure; inflectional and derivational morphology; the phonology-lexical interface.
  • Syntax (Masters) (0.5 unit) plus one more 0.5 unit course in syntax or semantics (see below). The syntax courses address questions of the nature of grammatical representations, the relationship between morphemes, words, grammatical structures and their corresponding semantic counterparts. Syntactic constructions across different languages are investigated, introducing the fundamental concepts of syntactic theory within the generative paradigm.
  • Topics in Lexical Semantics (Masters) (0.5 unit). The course examines a range of core topics concerning word meaning and how this is related to sentence meaning in contemporary semantics, with the focus both on understanding the analytical issues and on the tools for their description. The course introduces basic concepts in semantics including sense, denotation and reference, and the kinds of meanings associated with predicates. With regard to the meaning of sentences, the topics of thematic roles, event structure, tense and aspect are introduced.
  • One extra course in syntax or semantics:  Advanced Syntax, Dynamic Syntax, or Issues in Semantics.

In addition to these required courses of 2.5 units, students on the MA Linguistics programme also choose the equivalent of a 0.5 option course and complete a 10,000 word Dissertation in Linguistics. Students also attend the Research Foundations Seminar.

Core Compulsory Courses
Core Optional Course

Students must choose one 0.5 unit course from the following list.

Optional Course

Any 0.5 unit course from the list of running Linguistics PG Courses.

Dissertation

Programme Specification

Teaching & Learning

How to apply

How to apply
Scholarships

For further information visit the Scholarships section

D.G.E. Hall Scholarship

Application Deadline: 2013-03-22 00:00

Felix Scholarships

Application Deadline: 2013-01-31 00:00

SOAS Master's Scholarships - Faculty of Languages and Cultures

Application Deadline: 2013-03-22 00:00

Santander Taught Master’s Scholarships

Application Deadline: 2013-03-22 00:00

A Student's Perspective

I think the variety at SOAS is one of it’s strongest aspects – simply being a student at SOAS has taught me a lot about cultures and has given me the opportunity to meet so many great people.

Lialin Rotem-Stibbe