German and Linguistics, MA (Hons)

Course summary

More people speak German as their first language than any other in Europe and, worldwide, it is the third most popular language to learn. This flexible programme gives you the opportunity to study German while developing your social scientific understanding of language. German and Linguistics make an excellent joint honours choice by combining the study of:

• a modern language in its 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

GermanAcross all four years of our programme, including a year abroad, your studies will give you the chance to gain professional skills in all aspects of German, including:

• reading and listening

• writing and translating

• speaking and presenting

As well as language learning, you will also explore German-language literature, film and theatre. You will study these in the context of historical and political developments, from the eighteenth century to contemporary times.On joining us, beginners take our German 1A course. Students with more experience of learning the language typically take German 1B.By your final year, you will have developed linguistic, critical and analytical skills to the standard of completing a dissertation or long essay. LinguisticsLinguistics examines how language works, describing how sounds, words, sentences and conversations combine to express and create meaning. You will also study:

• the use of language in everyday life

• the ways in which language works across society and evolves over time

• how language 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 EdinburghAs a world-leading festival and capital city, Edinburgh is a fantastic place to study a modern language in its cultural context and alongside Linguistics.German has been taught here since 1894, making it one of the first modern European languages to be offered at Edinburgh.Studying over four years enables you to choose courses, including from other disciplines, that match your own interests, expertise and employability needs. 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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