Arabic and Linguistics

Arabic and linguistics is a combination that offers both deep engagement with a specific language and a broader scientific understanding of how language itself works. Arabic is one of the world's major languages, carrying a classical literary tradition of extraordinary richness and functioning as the official language of more than twenty countries and the liturgical language of Islam. Linguistics examines the forms, structures, and varieties of language across and beyond any particular tongue, asking how sounds and meanings are organised, how languages change, how they are acquired, and how they vary across social groups and geographic communities.

At Westminster, this degree offers what the course itself describes as an exciting combination: the study of Arabic language and culture alongside the wider study of language as a formal and social phenomenon. You will develop competence in Modern Standard Arabic, building all four language skills, while also engaging with the breadth of contemporary linguistics, including phonology, syntax, semantics, sociolinguistics, and applied linguistics. The two strands illuminate each other: linguistic theory gives you tools for analysing Arabic systematically, while Arabic provides rich material for exploring linguistic concepts in a non-European setting.

The programme is studied part-time.

Graduates of Arabic and linguistics programmes are well placed for careers in translation and interpreting, international journalism, diplomatic and consular services, international development, education, and language teaching. The linguistics strand also opens routes into applied linguistics, speech therapy, and language-related technology roles such as computational linguistics and natural language processing. Many graduates pursue postgraduate study in Arabic, Middle Eastern studies, applied linguistics, or translation, where the combination of language proficiency and analytical rigour is a genuine asset.