English Language MA (Hons)

The English language has a well-recorded history of more than 1,000 years. Its changes can be traced through written materials ranging from medieval manuscripts to text messages, and more recently, through recordings of spoken English. <br/><br/>Using techniques from modern linguistics, you will analyse the structure of written and spoken English and will explore how the language has changed in the course of its history. <br/><br/>As well as being interested in the study of change in English, we have a strong tradition of investigating different varieties of the language, including: <br/><br/><br/>* Scots <br/><br/><br/>* distinct dialects of English <br/><br/><br/>* international variations <br/><br/><br/>You will study modern-day varieties of English and Scots and identify the similarities and differences between the features of English and other languages.