Welcome to English Language, TESOL, and Applied Linguistics
Our degree programmes consider ways of analysing language knowledge and language use across contexts and time. We look at:
- how language is used in everyday communication including in different contexts;
- how language has developed over time;
- how we learn our first language and subsequent languages;
- how language operates in bilingual contexts;
- how we produce and understand language in real time as well as,
- how the underlying language system works for sounds and grammar.
Our teaching relates to real world issues with crucial impacts on individuals and communities. These include the use of language to persuade and mislead (particularly in social media); the effect of dialect and accent on identity; the challenge of learning or teaching new languages.
In TESOL, we also look at the challenge of learning and teaching of English as a new language, including:
- how different methods are used to teach language;
- how children learn an additional language;
- how theories of second language acquisition relate to teaching;
- how current research into English Language Teaching informs practice.
Opportunities offered to students on our BA degrees include the chance to obtain an internationally recognised, professional teaching qualification (Cambridge CELTA), and the chance to spend a semester or a year studying abroad.
