COURSE CURRICULUM

The BA (Hons) Linguistics and Modern Languages program offers a balanced and in-depth study of language structure, use, and multilingual communication alongside the practical development of modern language skills. In Year 1, students build a strong foundation in linguistics through core modules in English grammar, phonetics and phonology, and an introduction to language, studied in either English or Welsh. They complement this with optional modules exploring meaning, language and society, culture, or history. Alongside linguistics, students choose a modern language pathway such as Chinese, French, German, or Spanish, studying beginner or advanced language modules to develop essential reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. Year 2 advances linguistic knowledge through compulsory study of sound systems and morphosyntax, with options to specialise in areas such as semantics, discourse analysis, multilingualism, language history, or language teaching. Modern language study continues with intensive language skills modules and optional culture-focused courses related to the chosen language. In Year 3, students undertake advanced language training in their chosen modern language and complete a substantial undergraduate dissertation in linguistics, in English or Welsh. Final-year options allow further specialisation in areas such as bilingualism, psycholinguistics, second language acquisition, speech and language therapy, corpus linguistics, and English language teaching, alongside cultural and media-focused modern language modules. The program equips graduates with strong analytical, research, and multilingual communication skills suited to diverse global careers or further study.