
- UCAS course code
- TQ11
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Course description
Our BA Linguistics and Chinese course will enable you to delve into the science of language - an everyday phenomenon which impacts our lives on an individual and a global scale.
You will study topics such as the ways in which children acquire their first language, differences between the speech of men and women, how the sound systems and grammars of different types of language are organised, what happens when speakers of different languages come into contact, and much else besides.
You can also achieve near-native proficiency in Mandarin Chinese while studying the language within its cultural and historical context.
Language study offers much more than just language fluency. You'll explore diverse aspects of the culture, society, history, politics and literature of the countries in which Mandarin Chinese is spoken, helping you to develop intercultural awareness and communication skills - both highly valued by employers.
You'll benefit from excellent teaching, student support and cutting-edge study facilities, as well as from the vibrancy and cultural diversity of Manchester itself, Western Europe's most multilingual city.
With placement options available at partner universities and in professional environments in several Chinese-speaking countries, a compulsory third year abroad gives our undergraduate students unforgettable and invaluable personal and professional experience.
Our course will help you to develop analytical and problem-solving skills. Often dealing with granular and complex data, your combination of humanities and scientific understanding will allow you to make connections across multiple fields of employment.
Special features

Study or work abroad
Your year abroad will offer the opportunity to gain first-hand experience of life in a Chinese-speaking country, and further develop your language skills.
Learn from language experts
Language courses are mainly taught by native speakers of each language, giving you a richer learning experience.
Access outstanding resources
You'll have the opportunity to access cutting-edge resources, including one of the largest holdings of linguistics texts in the UK, and to conduct research using English manuscripts held in our prestigious Special Collections.
Get involved with interesting projects
Our students are encouraged to take an active role in funded teaching-enhancement projects, whose outputs benefit them individually and collectively. For example, some of our students have developed an online atlas of dialect variation in the UK.
Enjoy cultural activities
Celebrate and learn more about Chinese culture and language by joining the Chinese Studies Society and Manchester University Chinese Students Society.
Teaching and learning
You will learn through a mixture of formal lectures, seminars and tutorials, spending approximately 12 hours a week in formal study sessions.
For every hour spent at University, you will be expected to complete a further two to three hours of independent study. You will also need to study during the holiday periods.
The individual study component could be spent reading, producing written work, revising for examinations or working in the University's Language Centre.
Coursework and assessment
You will be assessed in various ways, including:
- written and oral examinations;
- presentations;
- coursework (which may include library research, linguistic fieldwork and data collection, or web-based research).
Many course units are assessed through a mixture of techniques.
In your final year, you can choose to write a dissertation.
Course content for year 1
Linguistics
- In first year Linguistics you learn to look at language in a new way. You will study topics ranging from grammar to semantics, from phonetics to sociolinguistics. All students study obligatory units including phonetics and phonology, sociolinguistics, semantics and (English) grammar, adding up to one half of the year's credits.
- For Joint Honours students, half your credits come from the other component of your programme.
Chinese
- All Year 1 students take the core module `Introduction to Chinese Studies' plus language classes.
Course units for year 1
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
Introduction to Chinese Studies | CHIN10050 | 20 | Mandatory |
Chinese Language 1 | CHIN51011 | 20 | Mandatory |
Chinese Language 2 | CHIN51022 | 20 | Mandatory |
English Word and Sentence Structure | LELA10301 | 20 | Mandatory |
Modern Chinese Literature and Cinema | CHIN12122 | 20 | Optional |
Chinese Language 3 | CHIN51031 | 20 | Optional |
Chinese Language 4 | CHIN51042 | 20 | Optional |
Chinese Language 5 | CHIN51050 | 20 | Optional |
Modern China: from the Opium Wars to the Olympic Games | HIST10152 | 20 | Optional |
Language, Mind and Brain | LELA10201 | 20 | Optional |
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Course content for year 2
Linguistics
- In second year linguistics, the emphasis switches to linguistic theories. You will build on your new analytical skills by considering ideas about the nature of language and models of its structure. You will study units in syntactic theory, phonology, and either typology or grammatical semantics (altogether one quarter of the year's credits).
- Joint Honours students choose further course units from the same wide range of Linguistics and English language options. At least one third of second-year credits must come from each of the two components of your programme.
Chinese
- In addition to continuing your study in the Chinese language, you gain specialised knowledge of China's history, politics, popular culture and contemporary business culture in optional course units.
Course units for year 2
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
Chinese Language 3 | CHIN51031 | 20 | Mandatory |
Chinese Language 4 | CHIN51042 | 20 | Mandatory |
Chinese Language 5 | CHIN51050 | 20 | Mandatory |
Chinese Language 6 | CHIN51060 | 20 | Mandatory |
China's Borderlands: Culture, Ethnicity and History | CHIN20061 | 20 | Optional |
Visual Cultures in China and East Asia | CHIN22521 | 20 | Optional |
Phonology | LELA20012 | 20 | Optional |
Analysing Grammar | LELA20021 | 20 | Optional |
Typology | LELA20032 | 20 | Optional |
Societal Multi-lingualism | LELA20101 | 20 | Optional |
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Course content for year 3
- Your third year of study is spent abroad under approved conditions. For more information on the period of residence abroad please consult the following: Residence Abroad
Course units for year 3
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
Societal Multi-lingualism | LELA20101 | 20 | Optional |
Semantics | LELA20281 | 20 | Optional |
Dissertation | LELA30000 | 40 | Optional |
Topics in the Study of Meaning in English | LELA30031 | 20 | Optional |
Language Contact | LELA30291 | 20 | Optional |
Speech Community: Manchester English | LELA30522 | 20 | Optional |
Course content for year 4
Linguistics
-
By the final year your study is tailored to your own interests by drawing on course units from a wide range of specialities. See example course units in the list below.
-
You will also have the option of writing a dissertation, where you explore and write about a particular topic in depth.
Chinese
- You will undertake a dissertation in Chinese studies to work on an area of particular interest in depth as well as selecting from various modules in Chinese religion, media and society.
- The language teaching programme continues to develop skills such as reading and writing Chinese, and includes work on interpreting and on translation as practical skills.
Course units for year 4
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
Chinese Language 6 | CHIN51060 | 20 | Mandatory |
Languages-Based Project 1 | CHIN51071 | 10 | Mandatory |
Language-Based Project 2 | CHIN51072 | 10 | Mandatory |
Dissertation in Chinese Studies | CHIN30000 | 40 | Optional |
The Environment in Chinese Literature and Film | CHIN30242 | 20 | Optional |
Religious and Political Ideologies of Modern China | CHIN30311 | 20 | Optional |
Socialism and Post-Socialism in China | CHIN32012 | 20 | Optional |
Chinese Translation and Interpreting | CHIN32112 | 20 | Optional |
Business Chinese | CHIN38682 | 20 | Optional |
Chinese Language 5 | CHIN51050 | 20 | Optional |
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Facilities

As well as making use of the wider University library network, you will have access to the University Language Centre, a modern open learning facility where you can study independently and make use of a library and audio-visual resources. There are also language laboratories and multimedia facilities.
For your Linguistics studies, we have two laboratories where you'll have the chance to use ultrasound imaging, laryngography and eye tracking technology. You'll also be able to use quantitative methods in the study of large language corpora.
Learn more on the Facilities pages for Linguistics and English Language and Modern Languages and Cultures .