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Dr Theresa Biberauer
In previous years, Linguistics has only been available as a Part II subject and has drawn high caliber students who have completed their first two years (Part I) typically in a language-oriented discipline such as English, Modern Languages and AMES. From 2010, Linguistics becomes a Tripos in its own right, offering both Part I and Part II courses.
Like a number of smaller subjects at Magdalene, we do not have specific target numbers of undergraduates for Linguistics. Applicants are selected on the basis of ability and potential in comparison with applicants for other related disciplines such as Modern Languages and English. If you have a strong academic background and an interest in the study of Language, we would welcome an application from you.
Language is arguably our most crucially human attribute, and Linguistics is the systematic study of human language. It is a very wide-ranging subject, covering both topics traditionally viewed as "Arts"-oriented - language in society, language variation and what happens when languages come into contact with one another (socio-linguistics); language change (historical linguistics); how meaning is conveyed (semantics and pragmatics) - and topics with more of a "science" flavour - how sounds are produced and perceived and what the speech signal actually looks like when it is subjected to acoustic analysis (phonetics); what "goes wrong" when speakers produce speech errors or when someone suffers some form of language impairment (e.g. dyslexia, aphasia, Specific Language Impairment) or when children are deprived of the language input they require to acquire language successfully (psycho-linguistics); the ways in which languages can and can't differ from one another and why the world's languages seem to cluster into types that aren't defined solely on the basis of genetic considerations (typology and generative linguistics); to what extent we can think of a language faculty in biological terms (bio-linguistics). People are often struck by the seemingly limitless differences between the world's languages, and these are also of great interest to linguists; beyond that, though, linguists also aim to discover the deeper properties that languages share, possibly with a view to gaining greater insight into the structure of the human mind.
Part of the appeal of Linguistics is that it draws on methods and knowledge from an unusually wide range of scholarship and transcends the usual subject boundaries. For instance, the study of meaning draws on work by philosophers, whereas the part of the course concentrating on the sounds of speech takes place in our Phonetics Laboratory - here computers are used to display and analyse the speech signal using methods from physics and engineering. Historical Linguistics, in turn, draws on methods and models employed in disciplines as diverse as philology, history, cognitive science and population genetics. This variety is what makes Linguistics fascinating: at one moment you might be poring over a medieval text for evidence of how the grammar of a language has changed, and the next, learning about how the larynx creates sound energy for speech.
Linguistics graduates, like other Humanities graduates, find employment in a wide range of professions. The fact that linguistics provides a broad interdisciplinary training, developing the ability to analyse quantitative data, construct abstract (grammatical) models, and test alternative hypotheses, means that linguistics graduates emerge with the kind of transferable intellectual skills that are highly sought after by employers. Careers for which Linguistics provides a particularly good specific preparation for vocational training include speech therapy, teaching (especially of languages), speech and language technology (developing and improving computer-based applications such as speech recognition and translation software), journalism, publishing, and even forensic linguistics (in cases where authorship or voice identity may be at issue). Familiarity with the range and essence of human languages is a huge advantage in careers where rapid learning of unfamiliar languages may be involved, such as the Diplomatic Service. The ability to construct and express logical arguments and the more general sensitivity to language that studying Linguistics brings with it also entail that linguists do very well in areas like Law.
Linguistics is a currently a relatively small subject in the University as a whole, with student numbers on the general introductory courses generally in the vicinity of 20 and the more advanced courses being smaller. 2010/2011 will, however, see the long-awaited introduction of Linguistics as a full Tripos subject, with students having the choice of studying Linguistics from their first year, rather than necessarily switching to the Tripos after one or two years of studying other subjects. The Cambridge Linguistics Department is housed within the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages, which is concerned with European languages. This means that the course and the research done in the Department benefits greatly from input by colleagues specialising in the Linguistics of particular languages. Additionally, it also has strong links with Departments outside of the Faculty, with students being able to select linguistics courses offered in the Classics and English Faculties and in the Department of Psychology.
Linguistics is divided into a one-year Part I and a two-year Part II, sub-divided into Parts IIA and IIB. Part I, where you follow four courses (focusing on sounds and words; structures and meanings; language, brain, and society; and the history and varieties of English, respectively) provides a foundation across the wide range of Linguistics taught within the Department. Part II allows you to specialise in the areas which particularly interested you in Part I (options include phonetics, foundations of speech communication, phonology and morphology, syntax, semantics and historical linguistics). Additionally, there is also, in both Parts IIA and IIB, a wide choice of courses taught beyond the Department, the latter including the linguistics of particular languages and also experimental psychology. Part IIB includes an individual research element as students are required to write a dissertation on a linguistic topic of their choice.
Teaching is provided in University lectures, exercise classes, and seminars, and in College-organised 'supervisions' (usually two students per group).
Students who take another subject at Part I can easily change to Linguistics. If your Part I was a one-year course, you would do Linguistics Part IIA and IIB (with IIA adapted to include some of the "foundation" elements from Part I). If you change after a two-year Part I, you can complete your undergraduate degree by taking just Part IIA; if you have funding, though, you can go on to do Part IIB as well, for a four-year degree. There are a range of entry routes into Linguistics, the most common being via Modern and Medieval Languages/MML; in recent years, the Department has, however, also attracted successful linguists from, among others, English, Anglo-Saxon Norse and Celtic/ASNAC, Classics, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Philosophy, History, Music, Education, Law, Social and Political Sciences/SPS, Maths, Biology and Engineering. Linguistics papers can also be borrowed into certain other Triposes (MML, English, Classics and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies), allowing students to pursue their specific language interests while learning more about language more generally.
The main requirement for studying Linguistics is a lively curiosity about the nature of language. It may be that you've been struck by a language that puts its verbs in a different position in the sentence, or wondered why languages change (making Chaucer hard to understand and even earlier English seem rather more similar to modern German than to modern English, for instance), or been puzzled that automatic speech recognition software gets a perfectly clear word wrong, or realised that an utterance such as "That's nice!" may not always signify something positive, or been excited to learn that languages as diverse as Welsh and Hindi have a common ancestor. Basically, if you've found yourself asking "Why?" or "How?" in relation to language, Linguistics is likely to be for you. Because Linguistics is interdisciplinary, there is no specific A-level (or other equivalent) requirement: the Department welcomes applicants with an outstanding academic profile, regardless of whether this is science-oriented or arts-centred. Some formal study of language, either through learning languages and/or through English Language A-level, does, however, serve as a good preparation.
Interviews are an important part of the selection process. We are looking for the most academically promising candidates (those able and willing to think for themselves, with high levels of motivation and evident enthusiasm for Linguistics generally and for the course as it is taught here in particular). The interview process will include a 1-hour written test and two oral interviews. All applicants will be interviewed by the Director of Studies in Linguistics, and one or two other linguists, who may be specialists in languages previously studied by the applicant. In addition, you should expect to be interviewed by another academic, such as the Admissions Tutor, who may not necessarily be an expert in your area but whom will discuss your extra-curricular activities and motivation to study Linguistics.
In the case of overseas applicants who cannot attend for interview, the decision will be based on the written application and references, and additional written work may be requested. Any offer made to an applicant who has not yet taken his or her school-leaving examination will be conditional on the achievement of specified results in that examination.
Conditional offers are typically A*AA at A2-Level or equivalent, though each offer is individually determined and occasional variations will occur. Achieved grades at GCSE and AS Level will be taken into account when deciding whether to make conditional offers, but unconditional offers will not be made on the basis of AS results alone. Post-A-Level applications are welcome.
The College is happy to consider applications for either immediate or deferred entry in Linguistics. We hope that those who take a "gap year" will use at least part of it to further their linguistic and related interests in various ways (e.g. by reading, taking relevant courses, teaching in the UK or abroad, learning a new language, etc.), but we make no prescriptions.
The College is happy to consider second -time applicants without prejudice. Prospective candidates are, however, advised to think carefully before giving up a place at another good university to re-apply to Cambridge.
Magdalene College is happy to consider post-A-Level applications from those who have achieved (normally) three A grades. Such applicants cannot in any way be assured of success in advance, however, and must go through the normal competitive process with other applicants. Offers made to post-A-Level applicants will normally be unconditional.
Mature students are admitted from time to time, and usually find that they are successful and happy in their course. If you wish to be considered as a mature applicant for Linguistics, you should be engaged on or have recently completed a course such as A-level, OU or Access. If you are in any doubt about your preparation for a University course, or your choice of College, you are advised to contact us to discuss your individual circumstances before making an application.
We encourage applicants from all types of school and college; and although the information about offers given above indicates a typical requirement, each candidate is considered in the light of his or her individual circumstances.
Hardship awards, travel grants, scholarships for excellent results in university exams and College prizes are all offered by Magdalene.
More detailed information about the Linguistics Tripos and, more generally, Linguistics-related options available at the University may be obtained from Dr Theresa Biberauer (mtb23@cam.ac.uk), Director of Studies in Linguistics, Linguistics Department, Sidgwick Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 0NP, or by requesting a copy of the Linguistics Prospectus from the Linguistics Department Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages, Sidgwick Avenue, Cambridge CB3 9DA (01223 335000). This information is also available on-line at http://www.mml.cam.ac.uk/ling/courses/ugrad
June 2010
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