Linguistics with German

Linguistics is the scientific study of language: how it is structured, how it is acquired, how it varies across communities and changes over time, and what it reveals about the human mind. It is a discipline that combines empirical rigour with a subject of universal human significance, since language is the medium through which almost all social life is conducted. Studying it with German at the University of Newcastle gives you the added dimension of a deep practical and scholarly engagement with a major European language and the culture it carries.

This four-year full-time programme includes a sandwich placement year, a year abroad and a work placement, meaning you will spend extended time both in professional settings and in a German-speaking country before you graduate. The linguistics component covers phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics and the history of language, developing your ability to analyse linguistic data rigorously and to understand both the structures of specific languages and the general principles underlying human language. Your German study will develop reading, writing, speaking and listening skills to an advanced level, alongside engagement with German-speaking cultures, literatures and contemporary society.

Graduates from linguistics programmes are valued in a wide range of careers. Speech and language therapy, language teaching, translation, computational linguistics, natural language processing, user experience research, publishing, the civil service and international organisations all draw on linguistics graduates. The addition of advanced German significantly broadens career opportunities in Europe and in international organisations where German is widely used.

Many graduates also go on to postgraduate study in linguistics, German, language technology or related fields.