English Language degree (BA)

• 260-300 points or equivalent, no specific subjects required
• We consider mature students and Access students with non-standard qualifications.

Please also read our Entry Requirements section.

For joint honours degrees you should also look at the entry requirements for your other chosen subject.

• Our School of Linguistics and English Language is one of the oldest linguistics departments in the UK. Our degree programmes are taught by staff who are active researchers in a range of theoretical and applied areas relating to the English Language degrees - many have international reputations in the field.
• Our modules will give you a sound and scientific insight into the structure and use of language, as well as into the history of English, sociolinguistics (the relationship between language and society) and current issues in the field of English Language study.
• Our modules cover a wide range of subject matter, and in your third year you will be able to focus your attention on those questions that interest you most - the final year consists of option modules.
• Our wide range of learning facilities includes an extensive collection of books on Linguistics and English language, a speech laboratory (in the Bilingualism Centre), as well as recording equipment for hire. You will be able to develop your word-processing and powerpoint presentation skills.
• We have an annual David Crystal day when Prof. David Crystal, the world's foremost authority on the English language gives classes to students in the School.
• A unique feature of our English Language degree is the opportunity to gain a Certificate in the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language alongside your degree.

This section provides an outline of the content of this English Language BA (Hons) course. Each year you'll study a series of modules, some of these are compulsory and others can be selected from a range of optional modules.

Year 1

In the first year you will be required to take at least four 20 credit modules. The remaining modules can be taken within the School or you can select modules from another School.

Compulsory 20-credit modules:

• Introduction to Language: how to be a linguist; the different subfields of linguistics; introduce basic linguistic terminology; academic skills.
• Describing Language: There are also Welsh-medium modules available as options in years 2 and 3. sound structure of language and using the IPA; word structure (morphology); sentence structure (syntax); metaphor and meaning.
• Language and Society & Language and Culture: how language varies according to dialect and social aspects; the relationship between language and cultural aspects such as language policy and bilingualism.

You will also have the option of taking Welsh-medium modules on core aspects of linguistics.

Years 2 and 3

In each of these years you take six 20-credit modules. In the second some modules will be compulsory, and will include in-depth modules e.g. on phonology, syntax, semantics, and the history of English. In year three you will have a freer choice of modules, and you will be required to complete a dissertation study on a linguistic topic of your choice as one of your modules. The third year modules modules can include topics such as:

• Language Contact and Bilingualism
• Speech and Language Disorders
• Forensic Linguistics
• The Bilingual Mind
• Metaphor and Thought
• Language, Culture and Power
• Welsh Linguistics (English-medium)
• First and Second Language Acquisition

There are also Welsh-medium modules available as options in years 2 and 3.

Modules our students are currently studying...

If you'd like a closer look at the content of the modules our current students are studying this year please click on the links below;

English Language degree (BA/EL)

• Year 1 modules
• Year 2 modules
• Year 3 modules

* Please note that due to the dynamic nature of our degree programmes specific topics of study/modules are occasionally subject to change.

For more on studying degree courses see our Study at Bangor section.

You will spend about 10 hours in lectures, seminars and tutorials each week. You will also spend time reading, collecting and analysing data (for example working with speech-impaired children and adults) and working on practical tasks in the laboratory. Your dissertation will allow you to investigate a topic of interest in depth and you will work with supervision from a member of staff.

Assessment includes essay writing, practical assignments, empirical research studies, oral presentations and examinations.

You can study English Language as a Joint Honours Degree with one of the following subjects (see Single or Joint Honours for explanation): Creative Studies, English Literature, French (4 years), German (4 years), Italian (4 years), Journalism, Physical Education, Psychology, Sociology, Spanish (4 years), Sport Science, Welsh.

‘With’ degrees

You can combine the study of English Language with a third of your time in Creative Writing, Film Studies, Media Studies or English Literature.

A degree in English Language and/or Linguistics will increase your knowledge of language acquisition, speech and language disorders, the history of the English language and teaching English as a foreign language. Recent graduates have gone on to do further academic study such as the PGCE and postgraduate qualifications leading to speech and language therapy, overseas teaching, and other training in order to pursue careers in social work, police work, immigration work, local government, banking and accountancy, librarianship, media and journalism, creative writing and publishing.

Could not find any courses in that section within the prospectus.