Linguistics

Entry requirements

Normally a Masters degree in a relevant discipline.

Months of entry

September

Course content

The MPhil/PhD in Linguistics is a research training programme which combines foundational and advanced courses in the core areas of linguistics, training on research methods and research work leading to a dissertation. The Department is strongly research-oriented, and through a combination of courses, advanced seminars and individual supervision, aims to provide the intellectual discipline, knowledge and skills required of a well-rounded researcher.

Supervision is offered in theoretical, descriptive and comparative linguistics, translation and language pedagogy. Depending on the research topic, it may also be possible to arrange joint supervision with specialists in other departments.

Research in the department

Research interests of the faculty are wide-ranging and span the world's languages, from Chinese to Arabic, Swahili to Korean, Mongolian to Japanese. This focus on Asian and African languages, combined with the unparalleled access to the considerable language and regional expertise of other SOAS researchers constitutes a unique resource for the study of theoretical, comparative and descriptive linguistics, language documentation and description, language pedagogy and translation.

Some recent research theses

Mahmoud Fathulla Ahmad – The Tense and Aspect System in Kurdish
Najat Benchiba: A structural analysis of Moroccan Arabic and English intra-sentential code switching
Kay Johnson: Static spatial expression in Ske – an Oceanic language of Vanuatu
Judith Nakayiza: The sociolinguistics of multilingualism in Uganda
Ian Pickett – Some Aspects of Dialect Variation Among the Nomads in Syria and Lebanon
Some current PhD topics

The political manipulation of translation and the role of translation in affecting the political field
Object properties and object marking in Makhuwa
Valency changing operations in Chimane
A grammar of Sekpele

Department specialisms

Phonology; Syntax; Semantics; Computational Linguistics; Dialectology; Phonetics; Historical Linguistics; Preservation of Threatened Languages

Information for international students

Information, including English Language requirements, can be found here: https://www.soas.ac.uk/admissions/international/

Fees and funding

British Academy, ESRC, EPSRC, university.

Qualification and course duration

PhD

MPhil

Course contact details