Chinese and Linguistics BA Honours

This module provides a core introduction to the field of Linguistics on this degree and focuses on language as a formal system, and language as behaviour. In terms of form, the module provides a foundation in the cross-linguistic structure of words (morphology), sentences (syntax), sounds (phonetics), and meaning (semantics), while considering different types of languages around the world (typology). With respect to language as behaviour, the module introduces the study of language in society (sociolinguistics and language contact) and the way in which language is used in conversational situations (pragmatics).

The module introduces the core theoretical knowledge, methodologies and fundamental skills required for the study of language and culture. This includes developing a sound understanding of key terms and concepts in addition to the skills needed to produce clear and competent written English in a range of registers and styles appropriate for undergraduate academic study. The module lectures emphasise the interconnectedness of the study of language and culture and introduce you to a variety of methodological approaches, including textual and visual analysis, semiotics, and adaptation. The lectures encourage you to think critically about the construction of meaning in different languages, cultural contexts, and media.

Beginners and false beginners of Chinese will learn a range of language skills, cultural competencies and critical abilities to enable them to function with a limited degree of linguistic and cultural autonomy in Chinese-speaking countries and the learning environment. Language and culture are taught in an integrated way through task-based and enquiry-based approaches to learning. You'll achieve levels 1-2 (beginners and false beginners) or 2-3 (intermediates) on the HSK; cultural elements focus on key concepts of study from the Chinese world. Proficiency levels provide an indicative framework only.

This module develops the practical and conceptual foundations of the translation process. In addition to language-specific translation seminars that focus on real-world texts of a gradually more complex but mostly factual and explicit nature, in the translation workshops, you'll be introduced to a range of translation-specific skills, including IT skills as well as basic theoretical concepts as a means of identifying, understanding and resolving translation issues in a practical manner.

This module introduces the study of contemporary and ancient material culture and examines its meaning in social, political and historical perspectives. You'll acquire skills of object analysis and visit London galleries and museums to apply them. You'll examine the social and cultural lives of objects, and how their meaning changes depending on their context and use, by assessing their production, the impact of trade, war and migration on their circulation, and their provenance and politics of ownership and access.

This module examines English around the world as an international, intra-national, native, second, and foreign language. It considers the distinctive features of these varieties and the social and cultural implications of English as a global language. British varieties of English may be referred to as examples in the introductory part of the module but are not the main content or part of the assessment.

You will learn a range of language skills, cultural competencies and critical abilities to enable them to function with an intermediate level of linguistic and cultural autonomy in Chinese -speaking environments. Language and culture are taught through task-based and enquiry-based approaches with special emphasis on the promotion of intercultural understanding. you'll achieve levels 2-3 (post-beginners) or 3-4 (post-intermediates) on the HSK; cultural elements focus on key events and ideas that have shaped the contemporary Chinese world. Proficiency levels provide an indicative framework only.

This module examines the underlying similarities and differences between languages, within specific parameters. The focus is on phonetics and phonology, which describe and investigate the sound systems of language, as well as syntax, the study of sentence structure. The module is fundamentally cross-linguistic, examining data from multiple languages across various language families. The description and explanations of linguistic phenomena are informed by generative theory.

This module examines meaning in language, focusing on the core areas of semantics and pragmatics. Semantics explores the meaning of words, phrases and sentences; pragmatics examines how we convey more meaning in conversation than is explicitly said. The description and explanations of linguistic phenomena are informed by current theoretical ideas within each area that develop students' ability to summarise, employ and evaluate theory in the analysis of language data.

This module examines the development of different aspects of language in the early years. Within the module, you will focus on the development of (1) phonological abilities (how children perceive and produce words), (2) syntactic abilities (how children combine words to form phrases and sentences), (3) lexical and semantic abilities (how children build their vocabulary and map words and meanings), and (4) morphological abilities (how children acquire inflections). It also discusses theories which seek to explain the development of these linguistic abilities.

In this module you will examine how those in positions of power use language to create narratives, values and beliefs held by different groups of people in the world. You will explore how language found in the public space reflects values and conventions and how this can change across different societies. The module focuses on the role and purpose of different kinds of social institutions and analyses the means through which they maintain their identity in the international public space and the language they use to do so. You will be shown methods of reading between the lines and how to evaluate the success or otherwise of their communications. This will also be applied to the specific languages you are studying through seminar sessions.

This blended module – which combines lectures, workshops, and online student-to-student collaboration – introduces professional language transposition skills relevant to the communication of current affairs in an increasingly globalised and digitised world. You take ownership of learning, choosing the topics studied and how to manage the synchronous online sessions. International collaborations develop interpersonal and organisational skills, as well as interlingual, intermodal, and intercultural competences. The module prepares you for the year abroad and, for those not going overseas, enables language practice in authentic, professional settings, such as subtitling, voiceover, and interpreting.

This module focuses on key cultural developments that have impacted the Chinese world (according to students’ language of study) through the analysis of pertinent cultural artefacts. It considers the development of each cultural and linguistic area over time up to and including the present day. To do so, the module will identify and focus on cultural artefacts that include text, objects, and audiovisual media such as – but not exclusively – literature, film, individual testimonies, political material, music, museum pieces, and artwork. The module aims to support students’ language learning through the study of these artefacts in the target language. It will also introduce students to key concepts relevant to their culture of study, such as gender, sexuality, race, class, language, and society, thereby developing their research, analytical, and critical thinking skills.

The Final Year Project offers you a choice of three pathways to complete an independent project. (1) The Professional Transcreation Project pathway provides the opportunity to work on a professional brief, creating materials for an organisation's expansion into new markets, with a focus on localisation and transcreation processes. (2) The Translation Project pathway prepares you for translation in a professional context through the completion of an extended translation as well as a critical commentary. It is available to any student who began their studies at Level 4 as an intermediate or proficient speaker of their language of study. (3) The Dissertation pathway offers you the opportunity to propose, research, and write your own project in the form of an extended essay on any topic related to your language and/or culture of study. You are supported in your chosen pathway through the development and application of skills needed for your project, via pathway-specific workshops and tutorials. Additionally, you will be further guided in your own work by your own project supervisor.

This module is designed for your final year. You'll learn a range of language-specific structures and skills, cultural competencies and critical abilities appropriate to this level, which will enable you to function with linguistic and cultural autonomy in a Chinese-speaking environment. Language and culture are taught through task-based and enquiry-based approaches with special focus on intercultural understanding, competence in academic register and academic writing skills. You'll achieve levels 3-4 (post-beginners without year abroad), 4-5 (post-beginners with year abroad and post-intermediates without year abroad), or 5-6 (post-intermediates with year abroad) on the HSK; cultural content focuses on contemporary topics and issues. Proficiency levels provide an indicative framework only.

This module explores various forms of cultural and political representation from the Chinese worlds, according to your chosen language. In particular, it examines core themes and issues, such as identity, belonging, and social movements, that are pertinent to the culture of study, considering how local, national, and transnational landscapes have influenced these issues. The module will develop your knowledge of key concepts and theories relevant to the culture of study and encourage the analysis of a wide range of texts, including, but not limited to, literature, film, popular culture, documentary, non-fiction, art, and other visual images.

The way that we talk tells us something about the way we interact with the world around us; it also explains to a certain extent the behaviour of those who see and hear us. Why, for instance, are some types of multilingualism seen as 'good' ('Trump’s grandchildren can already speak Mandarin, aren’t they clever'), while others are seen as 'bad' ('Spanish should be abolished in American primary schools')? In the sorts of contexts that we live in, society is structured in such a way that it benefits those who talk a certain way ('Speak the Queen’s English to get on in life'), and systematically disadvantages others who do not talk a certain way ('You’ll never get anywhere talking like that'). This has consequences that affect us as individuals, and language as a whole. In this module on multilingualism, you'll be asked to interrogate these processes. The module will introduce seminal texts that provide the analytical framework for exploring languages and language use in very disparate societies and cultures. At the same time, the module has a strong practical component: you'll draw on a range of empirical data (both quantitative and qualitative), as well as your own lived experiences, in order to model the relationships between language and society. In the lectures and language-specific seminars, there will be a particular emphasis on the interface between language use and ideologies, policy, the media, education and wider socio-political and cultural formations.

Across the globe, gender is a key principle of social organisation which defines the boundaries of inclusion and exclusion in both domestic and public life. Gender is fundamental to ideas about social order and power. Protest is a vital force for political and social change, particularly for changing conversations about gender. As such, this module considers the relationship between gender and protest. In particular, it considers the importance of protest in shaping both popular and theoretical constructions of gender across a range of cultural contexts, including, but not limited to, Latin America, East Asia, and Europe.

This module runs in Semester 2 and allows you to consider how linguistic theory and description can be applied in different ways. In doing so, it shows how linguistics can be applied to real-world problems and workplace contexts and uses your knowledge about linguistics to do so. You may apply the expert linguistic knowledge required to determine the authorship of texts, for example, with accompanying theoretical and methodological understanding of the processes that enable you to do so.

The module allows you a high degree of flexibility to select subjects ranging from the practice of translation to forensic linguistics whilst maintaining a solid focus on the theoretical, analytical and critical thinking associated with the systematic study of language.

This single semester module runs in Semester 1. It introduces students to further and more recent theoretical tools for linguistic description and analysis with an equal focus on form and meaning. It deepens students’ knowledge and understanding of theoretical ideas across all levels of linguistic analysis (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics) as well as areas that are informed by and inform the development of linguistic theory including linguistic typology, psycholinguistics, and language documentation.

This is a work experience placement associated with employment with an appropriate employer that you as a graduate might eventually join, such as a small or large business, an arts organisation or a subject-based placement in a school.

Assessment consists of a portfolio which you'll complete. You'll need to source your own placement. Support is provided via three face-to-face teaching sessions: one introductory session, one session focused on the assessment, and one drop-in session to discuss work towards the assessment. You are also strongly encouraged to make full use of the support offered by discussing your placement and coursework with the module leader during the semester. In cases where you are unable to secure a placement by the end of the first week of the semester, or where a placement has fallen through, the University will support and facilitate a change in module.