Bachelor of Arts (BA)

BA Latin and Linguistics

Examine ancient sources in their original languages and develop expert research and analysis skills.
  • Duration: 3 years
  • Year of entry: 2025
  • UCAS course code: QQ61 / Institution code: M20
  • Key features:
  • Study with a language

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Fees and funding

Fees

Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2025 will be £9,535 per annum (subject to Parliamentary approval). Tuition fees for international students will be £26,500 per annum. For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.

Policy on additional costs

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

Scholarships/sponsorships

Scholarships and bursaries are available to eligible Home/EU students, this is in addition to the government package of maintenance grants.

Course unit details:
Variationist Sociolinguistics

Course unit fact file
Unit code LELA20502
Credit rating 20
Unit level Level 2
Teaching period(s) Semester 2
Offered by Linguistics & English Language
Available as a free choice unit? Yes

Overview

The course introduces students to the scientific study of linguistic variation and change, also known as variationist (or quantitative) sociolinguistics. The focus is on variation and changes currently occurring in English. A number of classic and recent studies in the field are reviewed, focussing on the role of linguistic and extra-linguistic factors, such as socio-economic status, gender, age, and region, in language variation and change. The module introduces students to the use and interpretation of quantitative methods of analysis, including tests of statistical significance. Topics also include 2nd-dialect acquisition and language change across the lifespan. The course includes data collection and analysis by students and provides a foundation for further work in variationist sociolinguistics and urban dialectology.

Pre/co-requisites

Unit title Unit code Requirement type Description
History and Varieties of English LELA10342 Pre-Requisite Compulsory

Aims

The principal aims of the course unit are as follows:
  • to learn about the ways in which the English language varies in the present, and the types of factors (both language-internal and language-external) that may condition that variation. These aims are met through exposure to a number of case studies in the literature as well as through your own data analysis;
  • to learn about the effects of age, gender, social class, identity, geographical region, and internal linguistic factors on phonetic, phonological, lexical, and morphosyntactic variables;
  • to learn about and experience the different methods by which sociolinguistic data can be gathered; 
  • to become familiar with statistical tests and methodology for quantitative data analysis in MS Excel.

Knowledge and understanding

By the end of this course students will:
  • be aware of the central issues in variationist sociolinguistics
  • be familiar with and able to comment critically on the major linguistic studies within the field
  • have an understanding of the standard methods using in variationist research
 

Intellectual skills

By the end of this course students will be able to:
  • critically judge and evaluate evidence
  • recognize flaws in arguments and assess the merits of contrasting explanations
 

Practical skills

By the end of this course students will be able to:
  • analyse existing sociolinguistic data and evaluate the methodologies used in the studies within the field
  • apply standard data analysis techniques and background concepts to new data
 

Transferable skills and personal qualities

By the end of this course students will be able to:
  • interpret information presented in the form of diagrams, tables and graphs
  • apply and interpret tests of statistical significance
  • successfully conduct self-directed study and research, with appropriate time management

Assessment methods

Exam 70%
Field Project: Data collection and quantitative analysis assignment; group submission 30%
Statistics quiz; online NA (formative)

 

Feedback methods

Feedback method

Formative or summative

Personalized written feedback from course instructors on the fieldwork project submission;

Summative

Feedback from instructors during lectures and tutorials

Global feedback in class on the statistics quiz; individual quiz score.

Formative

 

Recommended reading

  • Labov, William. 2001. Principles of Linguistic Change: Social Factors. Oxford: Blackwell.
  • Levon, Erez. 2010. Organising and processing your data: The nuts and bolts of quantitative analysis. In Lia Litosseliti (ed.), Research Methods in Linguistics, 68-92. London: Continuum.
  • Meyerhoff, Miriam. 2011. Introducing Sociolinguistics. 2nd edition. London: Routledge
  • Tagliamonte, Sali A. 2012. Variationist Sociolinguistics. Change, Observation, Interpretation. Chichester: Wiley-Backwell

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Assessment written exam 1.5
Lectures 22
Seminars 11
Independent study hours
Independent study 165.5

Teaching staff

Staff member Role
Maciej Baranowski Unit coordinator

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