English Language (Placement Year)

Why English Language?
English remains the most widely spoken language in the world. English is used every day at work, at home, in conversations with friends, in schools, hospitals and courtrooms, in the news, on social media and in reading great works of literature. Understanding where English came from, how it works, how it is used and how it is changing is key to understanding our society, its identities, institutions and practices, and its creative ideas.

In this fascinating subject, you will study fundamental issues including:

• The history and development of English

• The sounds and structures of English

• The accents and dialects of English in the UK and beyond

• Varieties of English connected to social variables like gender and ethnicity

Our extensive catalogue of optional modules also gives you the chance to look at the way English is used in a broad range of contexts, including advertising, politics, media, literature and the law. You will also learn how technology can be harnessed to study patterns in the structures and use of English across large databases.

English Language is not just a fascinating area of study, you will gain a skillset that opens doors to a range of exciting and rewarding careers. Transferrable skills include a capacity for critical thinking, an ability to gather, organise and analyse large quantities of data, and an aptitude for developing new and innovative ideas. You will have the chance to develop specialist skills including in the lexical and grammatical analysis of English, the use of technology to track trends in the way English is used, and crafting language for creative industries.

Why Lancaster?
We are one of the largest departments for the study of language in the country and one of the most highly rated in the world (10th in the QS World Rankings). Studying linguistics at Lancaster means you will be able to:

• Explore a wealth of English language-related topics – You can focus on core areas of English Language studies like English phonetics, English grammar, and varieties of English as well as explore English as it is used in different contexts by studying discourse analysis, forensic linguistics, stylistics or the language of advertising.

• Learn from the experts – Our staff are world leaders in their respective fields but they are also all involved in teaching to bring you the latest topics and developments in English language research. Our staff are famous for their work on figurative language, language in politics and the media, language and identity, forensic linguistics, the language of Shakespeare, and the use of corpus linguistic methods when investigating English.

• Benefit from our world-leading facilities: As a student at Lancaster, you will gain hands-on experience of research in English Language through our cutting-edge labs which are furnished with the very latest equipment. These include a phonetics lab, an eye-tracking lab, a perception and learning lab, and an EEG lab.

• Experience the world: Whether it be through our Schools Volunteering modules, our Work Placement schemes, or our Study Abroad options, our degree programme offers you the chance to gain valuable experiences which will stay with you for life.

• A supportive environment: Our friendly staff are here to support you throughout your studies. All students are assigned an academic adviser who is there to get to know you personally and provide guidance on a range of issues.