Linguistics

Linguistics

Subject overview 

Why study Linguistics at Cambridge?

Linguistics is the systematic study of human language. Superficially, there’s huge variation among the world’s languages, and linguists not only describe the diverse characteristics of individual languages but also explore properties which all languages share and which offer insight into the human mind.

The study of linguistics draws on methods and knowledge from a wide range of disciplines. For instance, the study of meaning draws on philosophy, the analysis of the speech signal uses methods from physics and engineering, and the study of language acquisition draws on psychology.

This variety is one of the things that makes linguistics fascinating: one day you might be poring over a medieval text for evidence of how the grammar of a language has changed, and the next, learning about how the larynx creates sound energy for speech, or how we can record brain responses in a categorisation task.

All teaching in Linguistics follows the same course outline. See the structure of the course here.

The broad interdisciplinary training we offer provides our graduates with transferable skills that are greatly sought after by employers; for example, students learn to analyse quantitative data, construct abstract grammatical models, and test competing hypotheses. Linguistics graduates find employment in a wide range of professions; recent graduates, for example, have taken up roles at Google, Amazon, Facebook and the Foreign Office, as well as pursuing postgraduate study at top universities in the UK, Europe and North America.

Linguistics provides particularly good preparation for vocational training too, in fields such as speech therapy, teaching, speech and language technology (e.g. developing speech recognition and translation software), law, translation, interpreting, and forensic linguistics.

Familiarity with a range of languages is also a huge advantage in careers where rapid learning of unfamiliar languages may be involved, such as in the Diplomatic Service.

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Why study Linguistics at Downing?

The Fellows in Linguistics cover a broad range of research areas and have expert knowledge of a number of languages and language families, including Celtic, Germanic and Romance. Downing has particular teaching strength in this area.

"Studying Linguistics at Downing college has allowed me to be surrounded by many friends who are equally passionate about Linguistics. I have found it to be a place where, after telling people what I study, I am met with responses such as “Oh, interesting! What’s it about?”,  rather than a polite smile followed by a hasty change of topic. I am also grateful for my lecturers, supervisors and my Director of Studies, who have always left me feeling incredibly enlightened and all the more excited to learn more after academic sessions. I really look forward to the rest of my following years of studying Linguistics at Downing College."

Jacy, Lingusitics Undergraduate 

Who are we looking for?

Anyone who is curious about our most crucially human attribute, language, and likes the prospect of combining arts and sciences is a good potential candidate for Linguistics. No specific subjects are required but a useful background would include English Language, Mathematics, an arts/science mix and a language (ancient or modern).

Typical offers require A*AA at A Level or 41-42 points on the IB, with 776 at Higher Level.

All applicants for Linguistics are required to take a written assessment if shortlisted for interview. You will not need to register in advance for this assessment and the College will provide details directly to you. The assessment format consists of three questions on different kinds of linguistic data. Your performance in the assessment will not be considered in isolation, but will be taken into account alongside the other elements of your application.

You will have two interviews, each with two people and lasting half an hour. You will be asked some general questions concerning your interest in Linguistics, some questions following on from your Personal Statement and you will be asked to analyse some linguistic data.

The best way to prepare for the interview is to read some general introductions to Linguistics. The following are recommended:

Adger, D. (2019) Language Unlimited. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Pinker, S. (1995) The Language Instinct. Penguin.

Roberts, I. (2017) The Wonders of Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Examples of past written tests can be found on the University's Courses website, along with further information on the application process and entry requirements. More information about Linguistics at Cambridge can be found on the Faculty website.

What Linguistics students have studied

According to the University, most Linguistics students (who had studied A levels and started at Cambridge in 2018, 2019 and 2023) achieved at least A*A*A (76% of entrants). An essay-based subject is recommended for a strong application,