NOTE: The MAs detailed below are being
transferred from the University of
appointment of Vyv Evans, as Professor of Linguistics in the
School of Linguistics & English Language at the Bangor University.
Applications are now open.
International students may apply on-line. On-line application details are available here.
from here.
Vyv Evans supervises PhD’s in the
general area of cognitive linguistics at
The stages involved in application
are as follows:
1.
Send Vyv (via email) an up-to-date CV, and a brief (e.g., 2-3 page)
proposal detailing the research problem to be addressed, the theoretical
framework to be employed, the data type you will be collecting/examining,
details of hypotheses or research expectations, and an approximate research
schedule.
2.
If Vyv agrees to supervise the project, you may apply to
International students may apply on-line. On-line application details are available here.
from here.
Note. One of the three Master's
level programmes, detailed below, or equivalent, will normally be required as a
pre-requisite for PhD supervision by Vyv.
Further information on the PhD
programme is available here.
Summary of MA programmes and taught modules
|
Module
title |
Semester |
Tutor |
MA
Cognitive Linguistics |
MA
Language, Communication & Cognition |
MA
Anthropological Linguistics |
|
Intro to Cognitive Linguistics |
1 |
Vyv Evans |
Compulsory |
Compulsory |
Option |
|
Intro to Linguistic Anthropology |
1 |
Stéphanie Pourcel |
Option |
Compulsory |
Compulsory |
|
Language, Thought & Reality |
1 |
Stéphanie Pourcel |
Compulsory |
Compulsory |
Compulsory |
|
Metaphor & Thought |
1 |
Vyv Evans |
Compulsory |
Option |
Option |
|
Language, Culture & Society |
2 |
Stéphanie Pourcel |
Option |
Option |
Compulsory |
|
Grammar & Mind |
2 |
Vyv Evans |
Compulsory |
Option |
Option |
|
Language, Mind & Brain |
2 |
Stéphanie Pourcel |
Option |
Compulsory |
Option |
|
The Language of Space & Time |
2 |
Vyv Evans |
Compulsory |
Option |
Option |
|
Linguistic Ethnography |
2 |
Stéphanie Pourcel |
Option |
Option |
Compulsory |
MA in
Cognitive Linguistics (course
code: MA/COGLING Q1AH)
Full-time: 12 months (Sept-Sept), or part time over 2 years.
Course description
The MA in Cognitive Linguistics is
primarily aimed at those students who wish to undertake a taught programme of graduate-level
study in order to pursue research in some aspect of Cognitive Linguistics.
Cognitive Linguistics is a modern
and innovative approach to the study of language and mind, and their
relationship with embodied experience and culture. The MA provides a focused
and comprehensive programme of graduate-level training in the core subject
matter of Cognitive Linguistics, including the most important theoretical
frameworks. The subject matter covered
includes conceptual structure and organisation, figurative language, grammar
and mind, the relationship between language, thought and culture, lexical and
cognitive compositional semantics, the issue of embodiment, and contemporary
methodology in Cognitive Linguistics.
The MA also provides students with the opportunity to apply Cognitive
Linguistics methodologies. The MA
includes a 20,000 word dissertation in which students design and undertake a
piece of individual research. The MA
also provides a platform for those interested in pursuing an advanced research
degree such as the PhD in Cognitive Linguistics.
For further information on cognitive linguistics see: www.vyvevans.net
Course modules:
The MA in Cognitive Linguistics
involves 4 compulsory modules, 2 options plus a research dissertation of 20,000
words.
|
|
MA Cognitive Linguistics 6 modules, plus dissertation in semester 3 |
|
|
1. Intro to cognitive linguistics 2. Metaphor & thought 3. Grammar & mind 4. Language of space & time |
|
Options |
+2 options, from: Intro to linguistic anthropology Language, thought & reality Linguistic ethnography Language, mind & brain Language, culture & society |
Part time MA students structure:
Year 1: Semester 1: 2 modules
Semester
2: 2 modules
Year 2: Semester 1: 1 module
Semester 2: 1
module
June-Sept Dissertation
Application deadline: There is no specific deadline for
applying for the MA, however, early applications are
encouraged, not least to guarantee a place, and to ensure the timely processing
of application materials.
To discuss the MA, send an email to Vyv
Applications are now
open.
International students may apply on-line. On-line application details are available here.
These
can be downloaded from here.
Please quote the relevant course code on the application
form.
MA in
Language, Communication and Cognition (course code: MA/LCC Q1AJ)
Full-time: 12 months (Sept-Sept), or part time over 2 years.
Programme
description
The relationship between language,
communication and cognition is central to many of the disciplines in the
humanities as well as the social and cognitive sciences, including studies
relating to language, culture, media and mind. The MA in Language,
Communication and Cognition is aimed at those students who wish to undertake a
taught programme of graduate-level study in the interdisciplinary area of
language and mind which is not limited to a specific theoretical perspective. The course provides a comprehensive
programme of graduate-level training in various topics associated with the
study of language, culture, communication and cognition, approached from the
perspective of theories in cognitive linguistics, as well as cultural and communication
studies. The purpose of the MA is to
provide students with the necessary tools and skills to undertake advanced
research in some area of language, culture, communication and mind.
Topics covered will include linguistic meaning and structure, cognitive
linguistics, embodied cognition, linguistic relativity, the nature of spatial
and temporal representation, the socio-cultural nature and basis of language
and communication, cross-cultural and cross-linguistic diversity especially in
communication practices, data collection techniques including the collection of
qualitative data and experimental design, how the mind and brain process
language, and linguistic anthropology. Students will have ample opportunity to
conduct their own research, both in module projects and in the final
dissertation. The MA also provides a platform for those interested in pursuing
an advanced research degree.
Course modules:
The MA in Language, Communication
and Cognition involves 4 compulsory modules, 2 options plus a 20,000 word
research dissertation.
|
|
MA Language, Communication & Cognition 6 modules, plus dissertation in semester 3 |
|
|
1. Intro to cognitive linguistics 2. Intro to linguistic anthropology 3. Language, thought & reality 4. Language, mind & brain |
|
Options |
+ 2 options, from: Metaphor & thought Grammar & mind Language of space & time Linguistic ethnography Language, culture & society |
Part time MA students structure:
Year 1: Semester 1: 2 modules
Semester
2: 2 modules
Year 2: Semester 1: 1 module
Semester 2: 1
module
June-Sept Dissertation
Application deadline: There is no specific deadline for applying for the MA, however, early applications are encouraged, not least to guarantee a place, and to ensure the timely processing of application materials.
To discuss the MA, send an email to
Vyv Evans (Vyv.Evans@brighton.ac.uk).
Applications are now
open.
International students may apply on-line. On-line application details are available here.
These
can be downloaded from here.
Please quote the relevant course code on the application
form.
MA in
Anthropological Linguistics
(Course code: MA/ANTHLING Q1AL)
Full-time: 12 months (Sept-Sept), or
part time over 2 years.
Course description
The MA in Anthropological Linguistics provides a taught programme of graduate-level study in the interdisciplinary area of language and culture, which is not limited to a specific theoretical perspective. The MA provides a comprehensive, varied and flexible programme of training in multi-disciplinary topics associated with the study of language, culture, communication, behaviour, society, and cognition. The purpose of the MA is to provide students with the necessary theoretical, analytical and methodological tools and skills to undertake advanced research in an area of language, culture and communication.
The taught component of the MA takes place over semesters 1 and 2. In semester 1, students take two foundational modules: Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology and Language, Thought and Reality. The Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology module introduces students to key subjects areas, theoretical approaches and methodologies in the discipline, ranging from evolutionary questions to culture theories, and social models of understanding. Language, Thought and Reality is a theoretical and experimental module addressing the triangular relationship between language, culture and thought. This module incorporates a methodological element. In semester 2, students take two modules covering additional core subject areas, including Linguistic Ethnography (a specifically methodological module), and Language, Culture and Society. This latter module addresses key concerns and facts in linguistic anthropology, including diversity, development, multilingualism, and sociolinguistics.
Course modules:
The MA in Anthropological
Linguistics consists of a taught component of 4 required modules, two option
modules and a 20,000 word research dissertation.
|
|
MA Language, Communication & Cognition 6 modules, plus dissertation in semester 3 |
|
|
1. Intro to linguistic anthropology 2. Linguistic ethnography 3. Language, thought & reality 4. Language, culture & society |
|
Options |
+ 2 options, from: Metaphor & thought Grammar & mind Language of space & time Language, mind & brain Intro. to cognitive linguistics |
Part time MA students structure:
Year 1: Semester 1: 2 modules
Semester
2: 2 modules
Year 2: Semester 1: 1 module
Semester 2: 1
module
June-Sept Dissertation
Application deadline: There is no specific deadline for applying for the MA, however, early applications are encouraged, not least to guarantee a place, and to ensure the timely processing of application materials.
To discuss the MA, send an email to
Vyv Evans (Vyv.Evans@brighton.ac.uk).
Applications are now
open.
International students may apply on-line. On-line application details are available here.
These
can be downloaded from here.
Please quote the relevant course code on the application
form.
Admissions criteria for the MAs
Applicants should normally have a
good undergraduate honours degree (at second class honours level (upper
division) or better) or equivalent in a relevant single discipline or a subject
area.
English language requirement:
If you are a non-native speaker of English, you will be required to have
achieved one of the following minimum scores:
·
An
overall score of IELTS 6.0 with no individual score lower than 5.5
·
TOEFL
560 with a TWE (written score) of 4
·
Computer
Based TOEFL 220
Students who
have undertaken 2 years of education entirely through the medium of English
directly prior to entry to
Students wishing to arrange an IELTS test can do
so by contacting the IELTS
testing centres in your country or the British Council
Students who have not achieved the above scores
can apply to undertake English Language courses at the University's English
Language Centre in order to achieve these levels, prior to the beginning of the
academic programme.
|
Level |
Course |
|
IELTS 4.5 |
9 month course |
|
IELTS 5.0 |
6 month course |
|
IELTS 5.5 |
3 month course |
Module Descriptions
[Download
core readings]
Introduction to Cognitive Linguistics
This module provides an introduction to and overview of the Cognitive
Linguistics enterprise. In particular it
provides an introduction to the historical origins of the approach known as
Cognitive Linguistics, including its basic assumptions and key theoretical
commitments, an overview of the range and nature of the theoretical paradigms
which make up the Cognitive Linguistics enterprise, and the range and nature of
phenomena investigated by cognitive linguists and applications. In addition, a significant part of the course
is concerned with the theoretical and empirical methods employed in cognitive
linguistics. For instance, recent work
has placed special importance on securing convergent evidence from a broad
empirical basis, including using samples from unrelated languages, corpora, and
employing methods from cognitive sciences such as Psychology, Neuropsychology
and Computer Science.
Metaphor and Thought
This module represents an introduction to the main theoretical paradigms in
cognitive linguistics that investigate figurative language, particularly
metaphor. These include conceptual
metaphor theory, approaches to conceptual metonymy, Mental Spaces Theory,
Conceptual Blending Theory and the Theory of Lexical Concepts and Cognitive
Models. This course introduces students
to the main motivations, architectures and methodologies associated with these
theories, as well as considering applications and descriptive and theoretical
problems and challenges for these approaches.
The course also considers recent experimental approaches to metaphor.
Grammar and Mind
This module provides an overview of approaches to grammar in cognitive
linguistics. Such approaches are
characterised by assigning meaning a central role in the nature and
organisation of grammar, and viewing grammar as an outcome of the nature of our
embodied experience and our cognitive apparatus. Moreover, such an approach views grammar as
an outcome of situated language usage.
This module introduces the student to some of the main theories and
methodologies characteristic of this approach, and also addresses the relation
between grammatical organisation and conceptual structure and the way
grammatical structure derives and evolves, as motivated in part by experience
of the world and cognitive mechanisms.
Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology
Linguistic anthropology is a module adopting a cross-disciplinary approach to
the study of language. It considers various topics through the prism of
language as related to biology and evolution, and ultimately to society and
culture. The module introduces and reviews key notions in the discipline, such
as the origins and evolution of language, linguistic diversity, language death,
theories of culture, cultural and linguistic relativity, ethnography and
communication, sociolinguistics, structuralist
anthropology, and cognitive psychology.
Language, Mind and Brain
This module looks at the psychology of language, with a focus on the
relationship between language and cognition. The first part of the module
introduces the study of the brain and of the neuropsychology of language. The
second part examines models of language processing. That is, we try to explain
how speech gets perceived and words recognised, how
reading tasks are completed, how sentences and discourse get comprehended, and
how speakers produce speech. From this neurocognitive
perspective, the module questions the nature of the relationship between
language and thought, and debates the controversy of the direction of this
relationship, based on the ideas developed by Chomsky, Fodor,
Jackendoff, Levinson, Whorf, and cognitive
linguistics approaches.
The Language of Space and Time
This module constitutes an introduction to the nature of and relationship between
time and space. It also introduces the
manner in which language is employed in cognitive linguistics to investigate
how these domains of experience are conceptualised. The module focuses on the way in which space
and time have been investigated as distinct domains of experience, as well as
the way in which they appear to interface.
The module introduces students to cross-linguistic and experimental
approaches that have been deployed within cognitive linguistics in
investigating time and space, as well as specific theories of linguistic and
conceptual organisation and structure, which attempt to provide accounts of the
nature of spatial and temporal conceptualisation.
Linguistic Ethnography
Linguistic ethnography is a module which focuses on research methodology.
Ethnography is particularly relevant as a qualitative approach to behaviour
studied in its socio-cultural context. In this module we are concerned with
linguistic behaviour: the specific type of behaviour under investigation.
Students are introduced to qualitative methodologies of fieldwork, ranging from
participant-observation to semi-structured interviews. The module also
introduces students to the professional code of conduct in ethnographic
fieldwork, and in particular, to the importance of ethical considerations. The
course will endow students with the necessary skills for implementing a
micro-scale linguistic ethnographic study.
Language, Thought and Reality
This module introduces students to
issues pertaining to the relationship between language, thought, and our
perception of reality. Its central debate addresses whether language may
influence our thinking, including our understanding of the world. This
important debate is also known as the linguistic relativity question, and is central
to the fields of linguistics and cognition, especially in cognitive linguistics
and cognitive psychology.
Language, Culture and Society
Language,
Culture and Society is a survey module reviewing facts and processes involved
in ethno-linguistic diversity, in language and development, in multilingualism,
and in sociolinguistics. It is concerned
with contemporary issues pertaining to language and society. It relates the
daily practice of language to individual lives, socio-economic dynamics,
political agendas, planning policies, and more.
Funding Opportunities
Scholarships for MA and PhD
students
Funding advice for international
students
Overseas Research Students Award Scheme
Citizens of European Union member states can apply to the Arts and Humanities
Research Council, AHRC, one of the