Research Department of Linguistics

Upcoming Events

Our History

The Linguistics Research Department was established in January 2008 as part of a major restructuring of the Faculty of Life Sciences at UCL. It includes academic staff from the former departments of Phonetics & Linguistics and Human Communication Science.

Our Research

The Research Department of Linguistics has an eminent reputation for its work in theoretical linguistics, which has attracted significant AHRC funding. Its members carry out research aimed at discovering the nature and origin of the abstract principles and representations that characterise the form, acquisition and use of human language. The group is interested in many aspects of language, ranging from core grammatical knowledge (phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics) and the interpretation of utterances in context (pragmatics) to aspects of normal and abnormal language development (language acquisition, infant communicative development, and specific language impairment) and language impairments in aphasia and dementia.

Our MPhil/PhD Programme

The Department's staff supervise research students in all the above areas. Interested? Then look here for further information.

Graduate Teaching

In addition to the MA in Linguistics (a conversion programme), the Department offers three advanced Masters programmes. The MA in Linguistics gives students a thorough grounding in modern theoretical linguistics. It is suitable both for those with some prior knowledge of the subject and for appropriately motivated beginners. The MA programmes in Phonology, Pragmatics and Syntax prepare students for PhD research in theoretical linguistics. The Department also contributes to two cross-disciplinary programmes. The MSc in Neuroscience, Language and Communication is recognised by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) as a research training programme for MPhil/PhD study in neuroscience and human communication sciences. The MRes in Speech, Language and Cognition, which also enjoys ESRC recognition, can be taken as a standalone Masters but equally provides excellent preparation for PhD research in a language-related field of study.

Undergraduate Teaching

The Department provides most of the teaching for the BA Linguistics and the BA Linguistics International Programme, while it contributes to the delivery of the BSc Speech Sciences.