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Oxford University

Faculty of Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics

A hallmark of the faculty is the marriage of theory with data, drawing on historical, philological and comparative linguistic data from ancient and modern languages, and on psycholinguistic and phonetic experimental data.

View from Magdalen tower, Oxford.

A view from Magdalen Tower, Oxford. Credit: Jolanta Mirecka / Graduate Photography Competition

Overview

Linguistics is the study of language in all its aspects. In British English, the word ‘philology’ denotes the historical study of language. Phonetics is the study of speech.

The faculty will provide you with an environment where a strong philological tradition is sustained while all core areas of linguistic theory are supported (phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics), from both synchronic and diachronic perspectives. The faculty also has a strong profile in teaching and research on psycholinguistics and neurolinguistics.

Teaching and research in linguistic subjects is centred around the faculty’s home in The Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, located on Walton Street. Most graduate courses in linguistics and philology are held in the building.

The Phonetics Laboratory has excellent provision for research in speech physiology and acoustics, and outstanding computing facilities. Currently, the Phonetics Laboratory's main areas of research are:

  • prosody and speech timing, especially
  • contact phonetics and prosody
  • geolinguistic variation
  • multimodal analysis of gesture and prosody
  • functional phylogenetic and other statistical-computational methods of reconstructing speech from the past

Languages of particular interest in the faculty's research projects are: Indian English and other languages in India and the diaspora; Italo Romance (especially Venetian); languages of the Eastern Mediterranean.

Research in the Language and Brain Laboratory covers all aspects of linguistics, including phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. The laboratory contains offices for postdoctoral researchers, research assistants and DPhil students working in Psycholinguistics and Neurolinguistics.

Courses offered

Humanities Division

Oxford is at the forefront of international research in the humanities, with five subject areas judged to have the highest volume of world-leading 4*-rated research in the UK in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.

“As we delve into our particular subjects, we’re invited not to lose sight of the general awe of what it means to be human,” said Julia, an MPhil student in Linguistics and Comparative Philology. Oxford offers an unparalleled range of Humanities subjects, from music and fine art to ancient and modern languages.

The Humanities Division comprises around a third of the University's community of staff and students, offering taught graduate and research degrees in a very wide range of subjects. Humanities departments and faculties attract outstanding students, academics and researchers from across the globe. As a result, graduate students have the opportunity to undertake their studies and research in a stimulating, challenging and highly rewarding intellectual environment.

Some of these subjects are relatively new, and cross the boundaries of traditional disciplines. Others are areas of academic research that have long been recognised as of central importance, and they include some that few other universities are still able to support. In each case, the objective is to sustain and to teach the highest standards of scholarship. The dynamism of intellectual activity is evident in the wide variety of open lectures and seminars, in addition to those for specific courses.

You will have access to an immense range of research material, including digital resources. These resources are provided through Oxford’s impressive library system, based on the central Bodleian libraries, through the work produced by the University's research projects, and through the rich and diverse holdings of its museums.

In addition to materials and support focused on conveying subject-specific knowledge, there are a wide range of facilities aimed at the personal and professional development of students, strengthening their existing skills, developing new skills, and preparing them for careers after they have completed their studies.

Further information