Newcastle University

Linguistics MLitt

12 months full time; 24 months part time

Fees

Fees per academic year 2013-14

UK and EU: full time £4,320 part time £2,160
International: full time £10,840 part time fees

More information is available about tuition fees and discounts.

Research Areas

MLitt supervision is normally available in the following areas:

Theoretical and descriptive linguistics

Work in this area is centred on linguistic analysis and its implications for the development of theory. Much of it is generative, in a variety of paradigms (GB, Minimalism, HPSG, OT). Syntax (comparative, evolutionary, historical and developmental – first and second language acquisition) is a major focus, and phonology, morphology, phonetics, and semantics-pragmatics are well-represented, as is work contributing to sociolinguistics and corpus linguistics research.

An impressive range of languages is the object of investigation within this theme (eg Arabic, Bengali, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Quechua, Scandinavian languages, Spanish, Welsh).

Staff with expertise in this area who can offer supervision include: Professor N Burton-Roberts; Professor K Corrigan; Professor G Docherty; Dr C Fehringer; Dr S J Hannahs; Professor A Holmberg; Professor D Howard; Professor R Howard; Dr G Khattab; Professor I MacKenzie; Dr H Moisl; Dr G Poole; Professor M Tallerman; Dr M C Tremblay; Dr W van der Wurff; Dr R Waltereit; Professor D Whaley.

Applied linguistics and language acquisition

Work in this area focuses on the following strands:

Theory-building in second language acquisition (SLA): members of this research theme have developed a range of influential models such as Cook’s Multi-competence, Pienemann’s Processability Theory, Seedhouse’s Interactional Architecture of the L2 Classroom, Young-Scholten’s Organic Grammar, as well as work (re)conceptualising SLA theorising (Firth). This work is informed by empirical work on many aspects of second language acquisition, in a wide range of languages.

Theoretically-grounded practical outcomes: our work on the L2 classroom, on writing systems, on cross-cultural communication,  on bilingual cognition and language testing all aim to better understand the relationship between first and second language use and learning, and its implication for practical applications.

Developing new methodologies supporting SLA research: for example the development of computerised platforms for language learning; oral corpora to analyse interaction in real-time dialogue (NUCASE) computer-mediated interaction (i-lab).

We also have strong links with the developmental linguists working in clinical linguistics, addressing similar underlying research questions about the relationship between language and cognition and its implications for language acquisition/disorders and a theory of the mind.

Staff with expertise in this area who can offer supervision include: Professor V Cook; Dr Mei Lin; Dr C Wright; Dr P Athanasopoulos; Professor P Seedhouse; Dr P Sercombe; Dr S Walsh; Mr S Windeatt; Dr M C Tremblay; Dr M Young-Scholten, Dr C Wright.

Clinical linguistics: speech and language disorders

With expertise spanning speech and language pathology, linguistics, phonetics and psychology, our research in this theme is strongly interdisciplinary and involves substantial collaborations both within Newcastle and beyond. We address the universal and language-specific factors underpinning development and disorder, the psycholinguistic processes contributing to outcomes in typical and special populations, and intervention for disorders. In adult acquired disorders, we focus on language processing in a variety of disorders including aphasia, dementia and motor speech disorders.

Staff with expertise in this area who can offer supervision include: Professor D Howard; Professor J Law; Dr G Khattab; Dr N Lallini; Dr C Letts; Dr N Miller; Dr J Morris; Dr H Stringer; Dr J Webster; -Dr C McKean, Dr. N Riches.