Department of Linguistics

The Department of Linguistics at SOAS University of London offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in linguistics, with a focus unique in the UK: the languages of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. 

Founded in 1932, the Department of Linguistics at SOAS was the first linguistics department in the UK.

What is Linguistics at SOAS?

Linguistics at SOAS is uniquely focused on the languages of Asia, Africa and the Middle East, setting us apart from more typical linguistics departments whose curricula are heavily focused on European languages. 

Our expertise spans language documentation and description, multilingualism, language endangerment and revitalisation, language contact and change, sociolinguistics, translation studies, and theoretical models of language analysis, with particular strengths in language variation and comparative linguistics.

Studying with us gives you a thorough grounding in the methods of linguistic research and investigation, as well as the opportunity to do specialised study in a number of the areas mentioned above, always with a focus on languages of the global majority.

Ranked among the UK's best for Linguistics

SOAS is ranked 9th in the UK and in the global top 90 for Linguistics (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026).

Home to the first linguistics department in the UK

Founded in 1932 as the first department of general linguistics in Great Britain, we remain unique in the range of languages studied, spanning Africa, the Near and Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Central Asia.

Exceptional academic resources

SOAS pioneered the Endangered Languages Archive from 2010, and today gives students access to the Library's extensive language and regional collections, alongside more than 3.3 million books, journals, archives and specialist resources.

One of the UK's most international universities

SOAS was ranked joint 1st in the UK for International Faculty (QS World University Rankings 2027), creating an international learning environment with students and academics from across the world.

Learn in central London

Study in central London, with access to world-class museums, galleries, libraries, cultural organisations and professional networks that enrich your learning beyond the classroom.

Teaching in the Department of Linguistics is informed by research on the languages of Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Key areas of expertise include:

• Language contact and change: investigating how languages influence one another and evolve over time through historical and comparative approaches. 
• Sociolinguistics and multilingualism: examining language in society, language policy, multilingual communities and language contact.
• Language endangerment and revitalisation: exploring language loss, maintenance and revival.
• Language documentation and description: documenting, analysing and preserving endangered and under-documented languages through fieldwork and linguistic research.
• Translation Studies: exploring translation across languages, cultures and regions, supported by the Centre for Translation Studies.

Research combines theoretical and applied approaches to questions of linguistic diversity, language change and language preservation, with a particular focus on Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

Graduates from the Department of Linguistics at SOAS establish careers across language teaching, translation, research, policy and communications. Graduates have gone on to work for organisations such as the British Council, the BBC, UNESCO, Google, and the Wall Street Journal, and include a Vietnam-based travel writer who has written for The Economist and Bradt. 

SOAS is ranked top 15 in the UK for Employment Outcomes (QS World University Rankings 2027), and graduates from the department leave with expertise in language and culture, alongside sought-after skills in research, communication and analysis, preparing them for a wide range of international careers.