BA Linguistics and Politics

The BA Linguistics combined degree gives you the tools to understand how the world’s languages differ and how they are similar, how they relate historically and interact today, and above all how they are structured. Linguistics takes you beyond merely speaking a language, and helps you see how languages, in all their diversity, actually function. Modern linguistics is the scientific study of all aspects of the world’s languages from their sound systems and grammatical structure through to the interaction of language with culture, the study of meaning in language, and the use of language in modern technology. Linguistics at SOAS is all about appreciating the diversity of cultures beyond Europe and the English-speaking world. Anyone who has a particular interest in the languages of a country or region in Asia, Africa or the Middle East will feel very much at home on this programme. More generally, Linguistics is the ideal subject for those who are interested in human culture and psychology, but who enjoy approaching questions about our world in a systematic, precise, logical intellectual framework.