English Language and Linguistics

English language and linguistics is a degree that takes language itself as its primary object of study, asking how English works as a formal system, how it varies across communities and contexts, how it has changed through history, and how it is acquired, processed and used in communication. Unlike English literature, which focuses primarily on texts and their interpretation, English language and linguistics brings the methods and frameworks of linguistic science to bear on the language itself, developing a rigorous analytical understanding of grammar, phonology, semantics, pragmatics and sociolinguistics.

At Nottingham Trent University, this part-time programme allows you to study alongside other commitments, building your knowledge over a longer period. You will engage with the core areas of English linguistics, studying how sounds are organised in English, how words are structured, how sentences are formed, how meaning is constructed and communicated, and how language use varies by region, social background, gender and context. You will also engage with the history of the English language and with applied dimensions of linguistics, including language acquisition, language and identity, and the analysis of specific kinds of language use.

Graduates from English language and linguistics programmes work in speech and language therapy (with further training), language teaching and teacher education, publishing and editing, journalism, natural language processing, computational linguistics, lexicography, forensic linguistics, policy and public administration. The analytical rigour and attention to language that the degree develops is valued in any profession where precision and clarity in communication are important. Postgraduate study in linguistics, applied linguistics, speech and language therapy, language education or natural language processing is a natural next step for those who wish to specialise.