Language Degrees Online

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. Linguists try to establish what types of structures are shared by different languages and the extent to which language may differ from each other.
MA Linguistics at SOAS is a modular programme which combines the intensive study of the core areas of formal linguistics - phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics - with a choice of options in different areas of the discipline. The programme is run on a modular basis to suit the needs of the following four categories of students:
Those with a degree in linguistics who wish to pursue more regional and language-based study;
Those with a degree in linguistics who wish to pursue more research-oriented topics before proceeding to a research degree;
Those with little or no previous training in linguistics who wish to acquire a knowledge of the discipline;
Those with little or no previous training in linguistics who wish to take the degree as a conversion course before; proceeding to a research degree.
The course can be taken full time over one calendar year or part time over two or three years (daytime only.) The taught part of the course consists of core lectures which introduce basic concepts, theory and methodology; and additional seminars which extend the core material into other areas. A 10,000-word dissertation written over the summer offers students the opportunity to develop original research in an area of special interest.
The programme is formulated with two main tracks:
MA Linguistics is for students who would like to acquire general postgraduate-level training in formal linguistics (perhaps as preparation for further training or research).
MA Linguistics [PATHWAY] For those who wish to pursue a more specialised area of study within Linguistics. Most of the specialised pathways offered within the MA draw on SOAS’s unique resources and areas of expertise.The following pathways are available:
MA in Linguistics [Arabic]
MA in Linguistics [Chinese]
MA in Linguistics [Japanese]
MA in Linguistics [Korean]
MA in Linguistics [Translation Theory]

Students must take ONE course from list A and ONE course from list B
LIST A
Traditional Malay Literature (15PSEC008)
Burmese texts and translation
Modern Burmese fiction
Burmese Texts and Translation (15PSEC027)
Issues in Burmese linguistics
Directed readings in Burmese
Indonesian Literature up to 1942
Modern Indonesian Literature (since 1942)
Traditional Malay Literature (15PSEC008)
Modern Literature in Malay
Directed readings in Indonesian
The Thai Novel (15PSEC013)
Thai Short Stories
A Selected Thai Author
Directed readings in Thai
Contemporary Vietnamese Prose Fiction
Modern Vietnamese Poetry
Directed readings in Vietnamese
LIST B
A South East Asian Language at introductory, intermediate, or advanced level:
Burmese,
Indonesian,
Khmer
Thai
or Vietnamese.
Genders and Sexualities in South East Asian Film (half unit)
Jawi and the Malay Manuscript Tradition (half unit)
(Post)Colonialism and Otherness in South East Asia on Screen(half unit)
Postcolonial Theory and Practice
Post Crisis Thai Cinema (1997-2007) (half unit)
Pre-Modern Historical Texts of Java, Bali and the Malay World in English Translation(half unit)
Theory and Technique of Comparative Literature
The Urban/ Rural divide in South East Asian Literature in Translation (half unit)
War, Revolution and Independence in South East Asian Literatures in Translation (half unit) (not running 2008/9)

The Department of the Languages and Cultures of South East Asia offers the MA in the Languages and Literatures of South East Asia.
This incorporates the previously existing MA programmes in Indonesian and Malay Studies and in Thai Studies, and adds to them courses in Burmese and Vietnamese - two subjects previously not taught at MA Level at SOAS.

Students take three taught courses, one of which is considered a major, and complete a 10,000 word dissertation related to the major.
Candidates who wish to take a language at other than introductory level will be assessed at the start of the term to determine the most appropriate level of study.
Part-time students (two years) will take two courses in the first year (normally their Minors) and the Major and dissertation in the second year; part-time students (three years) take one course per year, and their dissertation in the third year.
Choosing the Courses
Applicants are asked to specify their preferred major subject and to give an alternative, as not all courses are available every year and practical considerations such as timetabling may limit choices.
Once enrolled, students have two weeks to finalise their choice of subjects, during which time they may sample different subjects through attending lectures etc.
Students must take TWO courses from List A of which one must be the major and ONE language course from List B.
LIST A (Majors or Minors)
Literatures of South Asia (15PSAC284)
The following are half-courses and must be taken jointly:
Indian Cinema: its history and social context(Term 1) (15PSAH001)
Indian Cinema: key issues (Term 2) (15PSAH002)
Directed Readings in the Literature of a Modern South Asian Language(15PSAC016)
Sanskrit Literature (15PSAC003)
Sanskrit texts from the Hindu tradition (15PSAC014)
Sanskrit Texts on Indian Philosophy (15PSAC020)
Culture and Identity in Nepal and Bhutan (15SADPG01)
LIST B (one language option as a Minor only)
Bengali Language 1(155900491)
Bengali Language 2 (155900492L1/01)
Gujarati Language 1 (155900496
Hindi Language 1(155900501)
Hindi Language 2 (155901183)
Hindi B(155901116)
Hindi C (155901143)
Nepali Language 1 (155900535)
Nepali Language 2(155900609)
Basic Pali(155900948)
Pali: Intermediate Level (15PSRC053)
Basic Sanskrit(155900753)
Sinhalese Language 1 (155900520)
Tamil language 1 (155900526)
Urdu Language 1(155900512
Urdu Language 2 (155900513)

This degree provides a coherent combination of courses in South Asian languages and their associated literatures and cultures; it leads to an advanced level of understanding of one aspect of South Asian civilization, together with a broader appreciation of the linguistic and literary culture of the subcontinent. The ‘Directed Readings’ courses, available in several modern languages, have a flexible curriculum which allows them to accommodate the interests of individual students or groups of students. The MA will provide, inter alia, an appropriate training for students wishing to proceed to postgraduate research in South Asian studies; its focus on South Asian language, culture and literature distinguishes it from the interdisciplinary perspective of the MA in South Asian Area Studies on the one hand and the MA in Comparative Literature on the other.

The MA Language Documentation and Description (LDD) consists of three components: core courses, option courses and dissertation research. This degree programme is formulated with two different pathways; one specialising in Language Support and Revitalisation and the other specialising in Field Linguistics.
MA Language Documentation and Description [Language Support and Revitalisation]
This pathway is open for full-time study to students with or without a BA in linguistics and provides an introductory overview of the study of language as well as courses geared at enabling students to support endangered and minority language communities in a number of ways. For part-time options and details please see the MA Handbook. The core courses for this pathway are:
Introduction to the Study of Language (core, 1 unit) provides across-linguistic and intercultural introduction to linguistics, the scientific study of language. The six core areas of linguistics – pragmatics, semantics, syntax, morphology, phonetics, and phonology are introduced and complemented by classes on sociolinguistics, language change, psycholinguistics and discourse structure.
Issues in Language Documentation and Description (core, 0.5 unit), covering language ecology, language endangerment, bi- and multilingualism, formats for language description and documentation, ethical issues of working with speech communities, setting up research and revitalisation projects, and more.
Applied language Documentation and Description core, 0.5 unit) introduces the students to applied linguistics issues in documentation and description: language policies and planning, orthography design, lexicography and dictionary making, translation, language teaching methods, curriculum design and programme evaluation, and multimedia and electronic publication.
MA Language Documentation and Description [Field Linguistics]
This pathway is open to students with a BA in Linguistics and equivalent and provides students with a sound knowledge of state-of-the-art methods and technology for language documentation and description with an emphasis on endangered and minority languages. For part-time options and details please see the MA handbook. The core courses for this pathway are:
Field Methods (core, 0.5 unit) covers the application of basic linguistic analysis techniques (phonetic transcription, phonological, morphemic, syntactic and semantic analysis, discourse analysis and sociolinguistics) through working with a native speaker. In 2003-4 the language focused upon was Khorchin Mongolian, in 2004-5 it was Dida (Ivory Coast), in 2005-6 Sylheti (Bangladesh), and in 2006-7 Kannada (India).
Technology and Language Documentation (core, 0.5 unit) introduces information and communication technology issues in language documentation and description such as: basics of data analysis and design, selection of software, introduction to databases, data formats and standards, fundamentals of sound and video recording and editing techniques, archiving and annotation issues, etc.
Issues in Language Documentation and Description (core, 0.5 unit), covering language ecology, language endangerment, bi- and multilingualism, formats for language description and documentation, ethical issues of working with speech communities, setting up research and revitalisation projects, and more.
Applied language Documentation and Description (core, 0.5 unit) introduces the students to applied linguistics issues in documentation and description: language policies and planning, orthography design, lexicography and dictionary making, translation, language teaching methods, curriculum design and programme evaluation, and multimedia and electronic publication.
Regardless of the pathway they chose, all students take the equivalent of 2 full units as core courses, and the equivalent of 1 full unit as option courses and submit a Masters dissertation at the end of the year. The MA may be taken part-time, over two or three years, and there is a possibility for transferring between the two pathways for part-time students.

Today, there are around 6-7,000 languages spoken in the world and it is widely agreed that at least half of those are under threat of extinction within 50 to 100 years. Language documentation is a new sub-discipline within linguistics that has emerged as a response to the growing crisis of language endangerment. It emphasises data collection methodologies, in two ways: first, in encouraging researchers to collect and record a wide range of linguistic phenomena in genuine communicative situations; and secondly, in its use of high quality sound and video recording to make sure that the results are the best possible record of the language.
The MA programme in Language Documentation and Description is intended for students who wish to specialise in the documentation and description of languages, with a focus on minority and endangered languages. This specialist MA is characterised by an integrated core of subject offerings that are oriented around issues in language documentation and description, plus a series of options in linguistics, applied linguistics, and language studies.
The programme is formulated with two main pathways:
MA Language Documentation and Description [Language Support and Revitalisation] provides an introductory overview of the study of language as well as courses geared at enabling students to support endangered and minority language communities in a number of ways. This pathway is open to students with or without a background in linguistics.
MA Language Documentation and Description [Field Linguistics] provides students with a sound knowledge of state-of-the-art methods and technology for language documentation and description with an emphasis on endangered and minority languages. This pathway is open to students who already hold an undergraduate major in linguistics/applied linguistics, or an MA in linguistics.
This course is part of the Endangered Languages Academic Programme (ELAP), which specifically aims to advance the documentation and description of endangered languages. ELAP also runs seminars, workshops, and intensive courses on the documentation of endangered languages. The programme is funded by the Lisbet Rausing Charitable Fund, and forms part of the Hans Rausing Endangered Languages Project.

All courses are taught in English, and essays and presentations are also done in English. All courses apart from “Theories and Techniques of Comparative Literature” involve reading some original Arabic texts.
Most courses are taught in seminar groups. These demand active participation by students, e.g. by giving presentations and by discussion with other students in the class, in order to develop research potential, original thinking and, by the tutor’s direction, structured knowledge of the topic.
Classes are one two-hour session each week; in some cases an additional tutorial hour is added. In addition students are encouraged to attend lectures and seminars organised by the AHRB Centre for Asian and African Literature and the London Middle East Institute.
Assessment
Most courses are assessed by a combination of these methods:
Two essays of 4000 words each (40% of the total mark)
An essay-type three-hour examination in May-June (60% of the total)
The only exception is Arabic-English-Arabic Translation, which is assessed by two essays of 3000 words each (30%) and an essay-type three-hour examination (70%)

Students take three taught courses from the lists of options below, and write a 10,000-word dissertation on an approved topic related to the student’s major. The major must be an Arabic literature course chosen from either List A or List B below. Of the two other taught courses, one must be chosen from the list that does not include the major. The third can be taken from either list:
List A:
Theory and Techniques of Comparative Literature
Social and Political Dimensions in Modern Arabic Literature
List B:
Arabic/English/Arabic translation
A Modern Arabic Literary Genre: Themes and Techniques
Arabic Poetry and Criticism (NOT RUNNING 2009-10)
Arabic Popular Literature: Themes, Genres and Theory
Modern Palestinian Literature (TBC)
Classical Arabic Prose Literature and Adab (NOT RUNNING 2009-10)
Reading Classical Arabic Historians: Themes and Trends in Islamic Historiography
Arabic Poetry and Criticism will not be on offer. Any student interested in studying classical or modern Arabic Poetry and criticism may do an MA dissertation on the subject to be supervised by the specialists in the fields (Dr Stefan Sperl or Dr Wen-chin Ouyang)

This new taught-Masters degree offers a deep insight into the Arab world through its literatures. It is an advanced programme designed for students with a good first degree in Arabic or with a good university degree who also know Arabic. The fundamental objective is to make Arabic culture and literature accessible to a wider body of postgraduate students and to provide them with training in the study of literature. Students develop an advanced understanding of Arabic literature and gain detailed knowledge of its past and present. The syllabus combines the literary approaches of comparative literature with in-depth study of Arabic literature. Students have the opportunity to become familiar with, among other things, literary theory, translation techniques, the sociology of literature, the social and political dimensions of modern Arabic literature, and different genres and themes of classical, medieval and modern Arabic literature.