Celtic and English Language, MA (Hons)

This joint honours programme gives you the opportunity to study the languages, literatures and cultures of the Celtic world while exploring how the English language has changed over time.Combining linguistic and cultural study in this way demonstrates that you are a good communicator, a resilient problem solver, and someone open to other cultures and new ideas – what employers value as Intercultural Competence.Celtic In Celtic, we work with the medieval literary tradition in Early Irish and Medieval Welsh (the most extensive in the whole of Europe), as well as Scottish Gaelic from the late Middle Ages to the present. We also explore the rich oral tradition recorded from the 18th century to the present day, and poetry from the 18th century golden age of Gaelic literature. You will study 19th and 20th century responses to the rapid social, cultural, and linguistic changes in countries where the Celtic languages are spoken. You will also study the writing, song, and media production emerging from the lively and varied contemporary cultural scene in Gaelic Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. At all levels of study, we offer courses in language, literature, history, and culture. This will enable you to build your programme by developing your own interests in particular areas, periods, and disciplines of Celtic studies. Our expertise extends to:

• theoretical and practical issues of current sociolinguistics

• language policy

• language revitalisation

Celtic language studyYou can choose to study Scottish Gaelic from Year 1, and continue to learn about Scottish Gaelic language, literature, and culture throughout your studies. If you choose this pathway through the programme, it doesn't matter if you are a complete beginner in Scottish Gaelic; we stream our Year 1 classes to suit all levels of prior knowledge or none. You can also learn a medieval Celtic language at honours level (Years 3 and 4). For this path, you will study Celtic civilisation and literature in Years 1 and 2, with texts presented in English translation. Both Old Irish and Middle Welsh are available, and students may choose to study one, or both. English Language The English language has a well-recorded history of more than 1,000 years, and its changes can be traced through written materials ranging from medieval manuscripts to text messages, and more recently, through recordings of spoken English.Your studies will develop your knowledge and understanding of:

• the principles of theoretical linguistics

• the way we learn language

• the regional and social variations of language, particularly the English language

• methods of communication

As part of the programme, you can opt to study the Scots language, which has its own rich linguistic and literary tradition.English Language courses of particular interest to students of Celtic cover:

• the speech sounds of the world's languages

• variation in the languages of the world

Why EdinburghScotland's capital city, Edinburgh has a long-established Gaelic community and a lively contemporary cultural scene. Its collections are outstanding, as are the University's own resources for the study of Celtic and English Language.Our programme is extremely flexible. In Years 1 and 2, you will choose option courses from a wide range of disciplines, and specialise as you progress through your honours years.When you graduate, you will have the combination of broad cultural education and specialist knowledge valued by employers worldwide.