Topics

You will study how language defines who we are as individuals and as a society with regard to gender, accent and dialect, ethnicity and occupation. You will learn about various theories and research studies undertaken by linguists over recent decades to inform your understanding of how we shape language and how language shapes us.

Texts

We focus on how written texts and spoken transcripts use language according to genre, audience, purpose and context. You will study a wide variety of written and spoken texts and analyse how the lexical, semantic and grammatical structures create different meanings and interpretations.

Coursework

The original writing module will allow you to create your own piece inspired by a style model such as a broadsheet article or opening chapter to a novel. You will also write an analytical commentary which allows you to discuss how you have used language to create particular effects.

Topics

You will learn how children acquire spoken language as well as the academic theories applied to this area of developmental research. You will also learn how literacy skills are taught in the early years of primary school.

You will explore the evolution of English as a world language which includes learning about different models to show how English grammar, spelling and vocabulary have evolved.

Texts

You will continue with the analysis of written texts going back to the 1600s and will study the theories of how language has changed over time. You will examine how the first dictionaries and grammar books came to standardise the language as well as how society’s values continue to affect the language we use today.

Coursework

The Data Investigation is an independent project where you will analyse and research data on a topic of your choice. For example, you could focus on gender differences in the classroom or power dynamics in an episode of ‘The Apprentice’.

Sample 1 

Sample 2 

Sample 1 

Sample 2