Linguistics and Modern Languages
The Linguistics and Modern Languages Tripos is a new four-year undergraduate degree in the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics which integrates the scientific study of language as a central element of human cognition with the study of a specific language, its social context, history and culture.
Students will study one main language as part of the course. Those students with a foreign language at sixth-form level may continue to study it at Cambridge, but any student starting a degree in LML may take up a language from scratch (excluding French). We'd emphasise that students with no foreign language at A Level or equivalent are very welcome to apply and will be considered very seriously. The Linguistics elements of the course will not be restricted to the language a student chooses to study, but options to work in depth on, for example, the history of the studied language are likely to be available.
Language work is combined with cultural, literary and historical elements from the outset. In the first two years of the degree (Part I), students work to consolidate their language skills, before setting off to test their abilities in real-life contexts during the Year Abroad. The Faculty offers extensive advice to students planning their Year Abroad, but also allows them considerable freedom in choosing where to go and what to do there: studying in a foreign university, teaching in a school as a language assistant, or doing paid work are all possibilities. In the fourth year (Part II), students continue their language work at a very high level (typically specialising in a single language), while broadening and deepening their knowledge of foreign cultures with a range of advanced literary, historical and comparative papers, and dissertations based on personal research. These aspects of the course are frequently taught and supervised by international experts, and serve to make the degree in languages at Cambridge unique in its intellectual scope.
Linguistics is the systematic study of human language. There’s huge variation among the world’s languages as well as in the speech of individuals of the same language; linguists not only describe the diverse characteristics of languages but also explore patterns which all languages share and which may offer insight into the mechanics of the brain. The interdisciplinary study of linguistics draws on methods and knowledge from a wide range of subjects. For instance, the study of meaning draws on philosophy, the analysis of a speech signal uses methods from physics, building language tools for technology (like predictive text or automatic translation) requires skill in machine learning and computer science, while the study of language acquisition and language processing draws on psychology and neuroscience. This variety is what makes linguistics fascinating - one day you might be studying a medieval text for clues to how the patterns of a language can change over time, and the next, you might be learning about how the larynx creates sound energy for speech, or how we can record brain responses to language.
LML at 91Ö±²¥
91Ö±²¥ has a long tradition of excellence in languages and linguistics teaching and research, and offers a vibrant and varied student community across MML, Linguistics and LML, with around thirty students in residence at any one time (with a further ten or so away on the Year Abroad). It also has one of the highest numbers of Fellows in languages of all the Cambridge Colleges. We have two Fellows in French: Dr Laura McMahon, whose teaching and research interests lie in twentieth-century and contemporary French literature, thought and visual culture, with a particular focus on French cinema; and Dr Rebecca Sugden, who specialises in the literature and history of nineteenth-century France. 91Ö±²¥ also has two Fellows in German: Dr Anita Bunyan, who teaches and researches in nineteenth and twentieth-century German literature and history, with a particular interest in German-Jewish culture; and Professor Joachim Whaley, an expert in German History and Thought from the sixteenth century to the present day. Our Fellow in Spanish, Dr Geoffrey Maguire, is a specialist in contemporary Latin American film, literature and visual art. In Linguistics, we have Professor Paula Buttery who is an expert on computational linguistics.
The College also has links with Modern Languages Fellows in other Colleges who teach all other Modern Languages, such as Italian, Portuguese and Russian, for the College. All students’ academic progress is supported by the Directors of Studies in LML.
91Ö±²¥ is also one of the very few Colleges to have two resident native language lectors in French and German, who are available to help students with both spoken and written work. The lectors at 91Ö±²¥ frequently organise film screenings and study trips to Germany and France. There is also an active modern languages society, run by the students.
Recent 91Ö±²¥ MML graduates have gone on to a wide range of careers in teaching, academia, journalism, publishing, professional music, arts administration, the civil service, the diplomatic service, law, finance and overseas development. We expect LML graduates to enter a similarly wide and impressive range of careers.
Admissions
Applicants to read LML at Cambridge need not be studying a language to A level/IB/equivalent, as successful applicants can study a language (excluding French) from scratch on arrival in Cambridge. Applicants wishing to study French or another language from an advanced level should be studying that language at A-level or equivalent. Beyond this, the flexibility of the course means that we are not seeking any particular academic profile, though subjects with a significant essay-writing element (History, English Literature, Classics) may be helpful.
All candidates are asked to submit two pieces of written work (TBC). All candidates with a realistic chance of an offer are called to interview. Candidates are interviewed twice. Interviews will involve general discussion of candidates’ intellectual interests and interest in languages and linguistics. There will also be a written test (details TBC).
Any enquiries may be directed to the Admissions Office.
