Experimental and Theoretical Linguistics - MA

at University of Kent

Experimental and Theoretical Linguistics offers an excellent opportunity to explore the broad spectrum of linguistics and its sub-disciplines.
 

The programme is designed for graduates with a background in language and related areas such as English, Modern or Classical Languages, Linguistics, Psychology and Anthropology, looking to explore the theory and methodology of linguistics in-depth. You'll explore the study of sound (phonetics and phonology), the study of words (morphology), sentences (syntax) and meaning (semantics and pragmatics).
 

If you have a keen interest in language in the broadest sense, and a willingness to explore theories of language critically, this is the course for you. The MA programme also offers a smooth transition to PhD study for those who wish to pursue further research.
 

You will choose four modules each in the autumn and spring, including core modules on Sounds, Structure, and Meaning, supplemented with options on, for example, psycholinguistics, language acquisition, language learning and teaching, sociolinguistics and stylistics.
 

This will allow you to develop areas of interest, and engage with aspects of your chosen discipline which are informed by the latest research and scholarship. You then complete a research dissertation of up to 15,000 words over the summer.
 

English Language and Linguistics at Kent is a dynamic and growing community with a vibrant research culture. We specialise in experimental and theoretical linguistics. In particular, our interests focus on quantitative and experimental research in speech and language processing, variation and acquisition, but also cover formal areas such as syntax, as well as literary stylistics. In addition to English and its varieties, our staff work in French, German, Greek, Romani, Korean, Spanish and Russian.
 

Staff and postgraduates are members of the Centre for Language and Linguistics (CLL), a research centre that seeks to promote interdisciplinary linguistic research. We also have links with research networks outside Kent, and are involved with national and international academic associations including the Linguistics Association of Great Britain, the British Association of Academic Phoneticians, the Linguistic Society of America, the Association for French Language Studies and the Poetics and Linguistics Association.