French and Linguistics, MA (Hons)

Course summary

French is a major world language, spoken in many parts of Europe, Africa and the Americas. This flexible programme gives you the opportunity to study French while developing your social scientific understanding of language. French and Linguistics make an excellent joint honours choice by combining the study of:

• a modern language in its global cultural context

• the expression and creation of meaning

Linguistics courses of particular relevance to language students cover:

• the speech sounds of the world's languages

• variation in the languages of the world

• the structure and history of world languages

FrenchYou will have the opportunity to acquire near-native fluency in this widely-spoken modern language, while gaining the broad cultural education valued by graduate employers. We will introduce you to the extraordinary richness and variety of the francophone world through the study of:

• literature and cinema

• political history and social movements

• philosophical ideas

Our courses cover material from the Middle Ages to the 21st century and include specialist options taught by leading experts in key disciplines, including post-colonial studies and gender studies. LinguisticsLinguistics examines how language works, describing how sounds, words, sentences and conversations combine to express and create meaning. You will also study:

• the uses of language in everyday life

• the ways in which it varies across society and evolves over time

• how it is mastered by children

As you progress through the programme, you will have the opportunity to plan and test scientific hypotheses about linguistic phenomena using specialist linguistics and phonetics equipment. Why Edinburgh?As a world-leading festival city, Edinburgh is a fantastic place to study a global language in its cultural context.Studying over four years gives you the blend of specialist skills and Intercultural Competence needed for a range of careers around the globe.In Years 1 and 2, as well as your core subjects, you will choose option courses from a broad list of disciplines. You will then specialise as you progress through your honours years.We are unique in Scotland in offering students a full academic year abroad within the four-year honours programme, regardless of whether you spend the year studying or working.

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