German and Linguistics MA (Hons)

More people speak German as their first language than any other in Europe and, worldwide, it is the third most popular language to learn. <br/><br/>This flexible programme gives you the opportunity to study German while developing your social scientific understanding of language. <br/><br/>German and Linguistics make an excellent joint honours choice by combining the study of:<br/><br/><br/>* a modern language in its cultural context <br/><br/><br/>* the expression and creation of meaning <br/><br/><br/>Linguistics courses of particular relevance to language students cover:<br/><br/><br/>* the speech sounds of the worlds languages <br/><br/><br/>* variation in the languages of the world <br/><br/><br/>* the structure and history of world languages <br/><br/><br/>**German**<br/><br/>Across all four years of our programme, including a year abroad, your studies will give you the chance to gain professional skills in all aspects of German, including:<br/><br/><br/>* reading and listening <br/><br/><br/>* writing and translating <br/><br/><br/>* speaking and presenting <br/><br/><br/>As well as language learning, you will also explore German-language literature, film and theatre. You will study these in the context of historical and political developments, from the eighteenth century to contemporary times.<br/><br/>On joining us, beginners take our German 1A course. Students with more experience of learning the language typically take German 1B.<br/><br/>By your final year, you will have developed linguistic, critical and analytical skills to the standard of completing a dissertation or long essay. <br/><br/>**Linguistics**<br/><br/>Linguistics examines how language works, describing how sounds, words, sentences and conversations combine to express and create meaning. <br/><br/>You will also study:<br/><br/><br/>* the use of language in everyday life <br/><br/><br/>* the ways in which language works across society and evolves over time <br/><br/><br/>* how language is mastered by children <br/><br/><br/>As you progress through the programme, you will have the opportunity to plan and test scientific hypotheses about linguistic phenomena using specialist linguistics and phonetics equipment. <br/><br/>**Why Edinburgh**<br/><br/>As a world-leading festival and capital city, Edinburgh is a fantastic place to study a modern language in its cultural context and alongside Linguistics.<br/><br/>German has been taught here since 1894, making it one of the first modern European languages to be offered at Edinburgh.<br/><br/>Studying over four years enables you to choose courses, including from other disciplines, that match your own interests, expertise and employability needs. <br/><br/>We are unique in Scotland in offering students a full academic year abroad within the four-year honours programme, regardless of whether you spend the year studying or working.