Undergraduate study - 2024 entry
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Undergraduate study - 2024 entry
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Subject area: English Language

Why choose English Language at the University of Edinburgh?

  • We are ranked in the world's top 10 universities for English language and literature in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023. We conduct world-leading research in English language and linguistics.

  • The English Language programme offers an unusually large number of course options.

    As well as gaining a comprehensive grounding in linguistic concepts and ideas, you will look at the development of English from pre-history and the language of early Britain, to modern English and its status as the global language of the 21st century.

  • You will be taught by world-class language scientists with a broad range of specialties, including: sociolinguistics, historical phonology, dialectology, syntax, Old English, varieties of English and Scots.

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The programme is equipping us with multiple essential and transferable skills which will prove useful.

The skills of close reading, critical analysis, and ability to adjust the writing to fit a particular style or a set of criteria are among the assets which seem particularly crucial for my future aspirations.

Roman Ashurbekov MA English Language and Literature, Class of 2023
Roman Ashurbekov MA English Language and Literature, Class of 2023

Introducing English Language

English Language involves the study of change in English. At Edinburgh, we have a strong tradition of investigating different varieties of the language, including:

  • Scots
  • distinct dialects of English
  • international variations

The English language has a well-recorded history of more than 1,000 years. You can trace its changes through written materials, ranging from medieval manuscripts to text messages, and more recently, through recordings of spoken English.

Using techniques from modern linguistics, you will analyse the structure of written and spoken English. You will also explore how the language has changed in the course of its history.

You will be able to identify the similarities and differences between the features of English and other languages.

In addition, you can study modern-day varieties of English and Scots.

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