Conduct an in-depth study of the grammar of English. Learn about dialectal and social variation, language change and the pragmatics of language use, and study varieties of English used around the world. If you wish to focus specifically on the linguistics of the English language then our MA English Language and Linguistics should interest you. “Grammar” is the body of knowledge that enables a speaker to produce and understand the language(s) they speak.
We study that knowledge, taking a practical approach to our research through analysis of English corpora, recordings and texts. Our course allows you to cover a wide range of topics related to English, including: Dialectal and social variation Conversation analysis Language change Language rights Pragmatics You also have the choice of optional topics including American languages, language and gender, multilingualism and language disorders.
We are a leading UK university for language and linguistics research (REF 2014), a place where talented students become part of an academic community in which the majority of research is rated ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. We’re also ranked 11th in the UK for Linguistics in the QS World University Rankings by Subject (2021). If you want a global outlook, are interested in human communication, and want to study for a degree with real-world practical value in a world-class department, welcome to Essex.
We will consider all applicants with 2:2 or above, or equivalent international qualifications. For some courses, there may be additional requirements which can be found on our website.
For fees and funding options including scholarships available please visit website to find out more
Our course can lead to careers in areas such as academic research, publishing, journalism, administration, public service and teaching. You develop key employability skills including research design, data analysis, thinking analytically, report writing and public speaking.
Within our Department of Language and Linguistics, we also offer supervision for PhD and MPhil. We offer supervision in areas including language acquisition, language learning and language teaching, culture and communication, psycholinguistics, language disorders, sociolinguistics, and theoretical and descriptive linguistics.
Founded by Sir Albert Sloman during the peak of the counterculture, the University of Essex was built to be “a new kind of university…where rese...