Celtic and French

Celtic studies and French together make for a genuinely unusual and intellectually rich combination, pairing one of the world's great modern languages with the study of the oldest literary languages of north-western Europe. French is the language of an extraordinary literary and intellectual tradition, of Moliere, Flaubert, Proust and Camus, and of a political and cultural history that has shaped the modern world from the Revolution to the present. Celtic languages, including Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Irish and Breton, carry the literary, oral and cultural heritage of the indigenous peoples of the British Isles and Brittany, traditions of poetry, mythology and religious thought that predate Roman influence and that have survived against considerable historical odds.

At the University of Edinburgh, which has particular strengths in both French and Celtic, this four-year programme takes you to an advanced level in French alongside the development of at least one Celtic language, with engagement with Celtic literatures, histories and cultural contexts. You will develop linguistic proficiency in your chosen Celtic language and in French, and you will study the literary and cultural traditions of both, placing them in their historical and social contexts. Edinburgh's location in Scotland, where Gaelic is an indigenous language with living communities of speakers, gives the programme a distinctive context, and the university's expertise in Celtic studies is among the best available.

Graduates go on to work in education, translation, media, cultural organisations, government and academic research. Those with Celtic language skills are particularly valued in Scotland, Wales and Ireland, where these languages have statutory recognition and active promotion. Combined with advanced French, graduates have a profile that opens doors in both the Celtic world and in international contexts where French language competence matters.

Many continue to postgraduate study in Celtic studies, French, translation or comparative literature.