BA English Language, Language Acquisition and Language Disorders

Male student with Ipod by C. Elmer This is a 3-year course which offers you the chance to combine English Language modules on sounds, structures, meaning and use in English with Psycholinguistics modules on language acquisition, language disorders and language processing. It is suitable both for students who have an A-level in English, and for those who don’t, and is likely to be of particular interest to those who might be thinking of going on to do graduate training in Speech Therapy subsequently. In each year of the degree, you take four modules. Details of the structure of each year are given below. (Click on relevant module titles for further details of individual modules).

Your First Year

Your first year is a foundation year in which you learn about linguistic techniques used to analyse a variety of aspects of the structure, use, acquisition and processing of English (and can additionally choose to take an option in teaching English as a foreign language, if you wish). You take the following four modules:

Module	Brief details
Foundations of Linguistics	Introduction to linguistic techniques used to analyse sounds, structures, meaning and use in English
Foundations of Sociolinguistics	Introduction to techniques used to study how factors such as social class, age, sex, ethnicity etc. affect the way we speak English
Foundations of Psycholinguistics	Introduction to techniques used to study how we acquire and process words and sentences
Linguistics or Modern Languages option	This could be Foundations of Teaching English as a Foreign Language, or an option in a Modern Language or another subject

Your Second Year

Your second year is a consolidation year in which we build on and extend the foundation acquired in your first year while also preparing you for the specialist options you are to take in your final year. You take four modules (or more if your selection includes half-options) chosen from the set of options specified below:

Module	Brief details
One second-year English Language options	Click on the link for details of the range of English Language options available
One second-year Linguistics options	Click on the link for details of the range of English Language options available
Psycholinguistics	A look at how we perceive and recognise speech, and how we comprehend words and sentences
Child Language Acquisition and Language Disorders or Second Language Learning	Child Language Acquisition looks at how young children learn to speak, read and write English and at disorders which can impair their development; Second Language Learning looks at how we acquire a second language, and how this differs from the way children acquire their first language

Your Final Year

Your final year is a specialisation year in which you choose a range of specialist options, and take four modules (or more if your selection includes half-options) chosen from the set of options specified below:

Module	Brief details
Two final-year English Language options	Click on the link for details of the range of English Language options available
Two final-year Acquisition and Disorders options	Click on the link for details of the range of Acquisition and Disorders options available

>> Entry Qualifications and Further Information (University Course Finder Information)

For details of other undergraduate degrees offered by the Department of Language & Linguistics, see BA Programmes.