Undergraduates
Jamie Chua, PPL, 3rd year (2024)
Why did you choose Oxford?
Because it's necessary to study Linguistics in combination with another subject (whether Psychology, Philosophy or a language). This offers you a lot of breadth, both in your options for what you want to do after university, and in the way it provides different perspectives on the material and issues studied. I really liked the teaching style - having regular tutorials is such a good way to make sure you know what's going on and explore topics in more depth, while having the tutor as a sort of 'safety net' to stop you from going too wrong. Socially, the built-in community that comes with a collegiate system.
What aspects of your studies have you enjoyed the most?
Seeing how different topics interact, being able to put my own spin on current theories and coming up with Cantonese linguistic data. Also, the slightly silly directions tutorials can go in - makes grappling with somewhat difficult theories much more enjoyable. It also helps that after first year I dropped anything I didn't want to keep doing!
Do you have any advice for students thinking of applying to study at Oxford?
If there's a subject you're fascinated by, and you like the idea of doing a bunch of readings weekly, putting your thoughts into essays and then discussing them in small groups (tutorials), then please apply! There’s no one ‘type’ of person that goes here, unless that type = ‘is a real nerd about their subject and can talk about it’. And then in your application, show that! In the personal statement, don’t be afraid to raise questions that arise from your research and readings – there may be a lot especially since Linguistics is a relatively young field, which can be both a blessing and a curse. Of course, keep on top of your grades, since that’s seen as a given.
What lectures and classes have you followed during your degree?
First year: General Linguistics (Historical Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, Psycholinguistics), Syntax, Semantics, Phonetics and Phonology, Morphology – so a very broad overview of the field.
Second and Third year: General Linguistics, Phonetics and Phonology, Syntax, Semantics and Pragmatics
Relevant modules from Psychology: Statistics, Cognition (includes language cognition), Developmental Psychology (includes child language development).
I've also attended lectures for subjects I don't take, such as Historical Pragmatics and Austronesian syntax. If I could go back in time, I'd also try out Celtic Linguistics.
What do you plan to do after graduating?
A cross-disciplinary PhD! Hopefully. I'd also be open to exploring more about and working in language conservation – anything that makes a positive, meaningful impact.
Sam Field-Gibson, German and Linguistics, 2nd year (2024)
Why did you choose Oxford?
I was really attracted by the ability to study a language (German in my case) alongside linguistics and having bridge modules between these subjects. Alongside this, the personal teaching style of having two-to-one tutorials with experts in the field is of course an amazing perk!
What aspects of your studies have you enjoyed the most?
I love the variability of tasks of topics, especially in Linguistics. Since students have never studied linguistics before, having a carousel-style first year in which you study essentially all major topics in linguistics is very beneficial and a great way to learn what you really want to study. In terms of the actual work, tutorials can involve tasks as broad as drawing syntax trees, analysing sets of language, and writing essays and phonetic transcriptions, which means you never get bored of doing the same thing over and over again.
Do you have any advice for students thinking of applying to study at Oxford?
The tutors want to see in the personal statement and interviews that you’re passionate and really inspired to study linguistics, so explore the subject and read up on what really interests you. I personally helped on a PhD study on psycholinguistics at a linguistics department in my hometown’s university, and this was a great way to shape my knowledge and give me understanding of how the academic world of linguistics work. However, it’s perfectly fine to just do reading: anything that shows your enthusiasm in the field!
What lectures and classes have you followed during your degree?
During Prelims, I studied the required General Linguistics (including Socio-, Psycho-, and Historical Linguistics), Grammatical Analysis (Syntax and Morphology), and Phonetics and Phonology. Now at finals, I am studying Phonetics and Phonology, and Morphology, as well as the two bridge German Linguistics papers. During my upcoming year abroad, I am also hoping to conduct a research project for the Linguistic Project paper.
What do you plan to do after graduating?
Despite wanting to go into something German-related at the start of my degree, the Linguistics course has strongly interested me, and now I plan on going on to do a Masters (and maybe even a PhD/DPhil) in Linguistics, hopefully also at Oxford. In the longer term, I would love to go into linguistics academia.
Sam Morito, Portuguese and Linguistics, 1st year (2018)
Why did you choose Oxford?
Because the course came across as being very in-depth and interesting, covering things which didn't seem to be looked at in so much detail on similar courses. Plus, there was a good (i.e., 50-50) balance between the two subjects which I liked better than Linguistics with some credits in MFLs.
What aspects of your studies have you enjoyed the most?
Mainly analytical (literary (Portuguese) and syntactical (Linguistics) analysis) or problem-solving (Translation) tasks.
Do you have any advice for students thinking of applying to study at Oxford?
Get as much information and talk to as many people about the course as you can and ask all the (even silly) questions as you feel you need to- but mostly just remember to always be happy and confident while you are applying.
What lectures and classes have you followed in your first year of study?
Linguistics: General, Grammatical Analysis, and Phonetics and Phonology.
Portuguese: a modernist poetry collection, two novels, two dramatic poems and two Auto Plays for literature; plus grammar and translation classes.
What do you plan to study after your first year?
Possibly Psycholinguistics and Syntax.
Pietro Nickl, PPL (2015-2018)
Why did you choose Oxford?
PPL (Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics) was exactly the kind of course I was looking for: interdisciplinary and with lots of potential for thematic overlap – I liked the idea of looking at similar fascinating topics (e.g. thoughts, consciousness, meaning, social interaction etc.) from different angles and with different toolboxes.
What aspects of your studies have you enjoyed the most?
Overall I would say the diversity of my course and getting acquainted with different methods: doing phonetic transcriptions (Phonetics and Phonology), some very algorithmic problem sheets for (e.g. Logic, Syntax), writing up discourse analyses and lab reports (Psychology) and of course the essay format which also requires slightly different approaches across the disciplines (and different modules within a discipline). Talk about mental flexibility!
Which advanced Linguistics options have you chosen?
Apart from the compulsory "Paper A” which deals with key topics from various areas of Linguistics I took “Semantics and Pragmatics” (the theory of meaning, with and without context) and “Syntax” (aspects of grammar, concerning grammatical phenomena in English and cross-linguistically). For me that was a very nice balance between quite philosophical (what is language? what is meaning?), some more psychological (how do I know what you’re telling me, and what you’re “implying"?) and some "truly linguistic" questions (do all languages exhibit feature X?).
Do you have any advice for students thinking of applying to study at Oxford?
Be interested! Being inquisitive is probably the most important quality for studying here and making the most of it – knowing stuff in particular will spring from there (after all you will be taught here). Read around (something very general like “The Language Instinct” to get a feel for how broad the field of Linguistics is), just explore if you already have a particular interest and keep track of your hunches during reading. Questions (and maybe even answers, or hunches) will come up while reading and talking about topics – remember to have fun and link it back “real world” issues and yourself. Knowing why/believing that a question is important will help not to get lost in preparatory reading and essay writing when it comes to it. See if you’re having fun with it (if you don’t that might be a sign to keep looking for a topic or subject)!
Graduate Students
DPhil students
Xiaoye Wu (DPhil 2023- , MPhil 2021-2023 )
What is your research project?
I am working on the phonetic documentation of Wuxi Wu Chinese, a dialect spoken in eastern China. My aim is to provide an acoustic analysis of its phonemic and tonal system, exploring some distinctive phonetic features. Also, I am trying to compile a corpus to help preserve the dialect.
Why did you choose to do research at Oxford?
I did my MPhil at Oxford and chose to stay for my DPhil. The community is very supportive, which helps with both academic and personal growth.
What aspects of your research have you enjoyed the most?
I have the freedom to explore my research interests in my own way and at my own pace. I have a lot of time to think and write, which has been a truly valuable and meaningful experience in my life.
Do you have any advice for students thinking of applying to do research at Oxford?
Have a clear research plan and reach out to potential supervisors early. Staying spontaneous is very important throughout the research process.
Jamie Findlay (DPhil 2015-2019, MPhil 2012-2014)
What is your research project?
I am studying the syntax and semantics of 'multiword expressions', and their representation in the lexicon. MWEs include things like idioms, e.g. 'cut the mustard' or 'pull strings', which on the one hand are syntactically complex phrases, but on the other hand have conventionalised meanings and so must be stored in the lexicon.
Why did you choose to do research at Oxford?
I was an undergraduate here and so saw at first hand what an intellectually nurturing and stimulating place it could be. There's not as much structure as some other graduate programs out there, but if you're keen and self-motivated it has a lot of opportunities to offer.
What aspects of your research have you enjoyed the most?
The project has changed a lot over the three years, and I've enjoyed seeing where it's taken me -- both intellectually and geographically: it's been great to travel and present my work to different people in different places. I've also enjoyed discovering weird and wonderful idioms from the world's languages (e.g. in Spanish 'to give someone pumpkins' means to reject them).
Do you have any advice for students thinking of applying to do research at Oxford?
Reach out and talk to someone here. If you want to find out what it's like to be a graduate student in the department, ask one. If you have specific questions about whether someone would be interested in supervising your proposal, get in touch. Most people are very friendly as long as you're not wasting their time with a question you could find the answer to on your own.
Joseph Lovestrand (DPhil 2014-2018)
What is your research project?
I am analyzing serial verb constructions in a Chadic language called Barayin. My project includes fieldwork in Chad, typological research and a formal analysis in Lexical-Functional Grammar.
Why did you choose to do research at Oxford?
I specifically wanted to explore Lexical-Functional Grammar, and Oxford is currently one of the top universities for research in LFG.
What aspects of your research have you enjoyed the most?
Fieldwork has been a rewarding experience, and I have also enjoyed the intellectual challenge of understanding Lexical-Functional Grammar and applying the theory to a previously undescribed construction.
Do you have any advice for students thinking of applying to do research at Oxford?
The best advice I received was to be sure I had a research topic I would stay interested in for several years, and to be sure to have a supervisor who is genuinely interested in the research topic as well.
MPhil students
Clara Saliba (MPhil 2023-)
Why did you choose to do a Master’s at Oxford?
I chose Oxford for two reasons: the quality of the student experience and its suitability for my thesis project. I knew that coming to Oxford would give me experience in the tutorial system (read: small group or individual instruction). Since my undergraduate degree was in a large Canadian institution, I have really treasured the individual attention. The thesis supervision opportunities at Oxford are also unique, and I knew I wouldn't be able to get instruction in my thesis project (Breton sociolinguistics/morphosyntax) almost anywhere else. I also knew that the structure of the degree (several papers AND a thesis) would allow me to gain skills that I wouldn't in other UK programs (for example, I took an experimental paper in Machine Learning this past autumn).
What are you focusing on for your Master’s thesis?
I'm interested in a Celtic language called Breton (Oxford is a really good place to do Celtic) and how new speakers are influencing systems of morphosyntactic agreement. I'm straddling syntax, sociolinguistics, and language revival.
What aspects of your graduate degree have you enjoyed the most?
I'm tied between two things: the people and the incredible access to learning. My cohort and my professors are supportive yet challenging. There are also opportunities at Oxford that you wouldn't get anywhere else: for example, I'm involved with judging a French literary prize, not to mention the incredible range of talks and seminars that are available to you.
Do you have any advice for students thinking of applying to do a Master’s degree at Oxford?
Expect to be challenged. Students here need to be proactive about making sure they have the right support. Your hard work will pay off but knowing how to be your own best advocate will help you have a positive experience, especially as a postgraduate. That being said, don't be afraid to say "yes" to things: you never know where they might lead you!
Amanda Thomas (MPhil 2016-2018)
What is your research project?
My master’s thesis is on the historical development and modern use of past participles in the Romance languages, focusing on so-called ‘double’ forms, where a single verb has two different past participle forms which are used in different contexts. I am also studying the grammatical features of polite pronouns, for a paper in syntax, and the benefactive alternation in English, for a paper in semantics. Working on a range of areas means my research is very varied, including working with native speakers to collect data, corpus studies, and more theoretical work.
Why did you choose to do research at Oxford?
The Faculty of Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics at Oxford is a brilliant place for the kind of research I am doing, with so many experts in the Romance languages and in theoretical linguistics. I was particularly drawn to the MPhil course, which is an ideal step from taught studies to independent research. I have enjoyed the combination of tutorials, classes, lectures, and doing my own research. The facilities at Oxford are impressive, from the library provision to the opportunity to run experiments in the Language and Brain lab, and there is a real linguistics community. People working in many different sub-fields often come together and have productive and fun conversations that can lead to exciting interdisciplinary projects.
What aspects of your research have you enjoyed the most?
One of the most engaging parts of my research was carrying out fieldwork in Portugal, generously supported by Somerville College and the linguistics Faculty. I recruited native speakers to participate in a grammaticality judgement task and discuss aspects of modern Portuguese usage, to get a combination of quantitative and qualitative data. It was then hugely rewarding to analyse that data and see how it fitted into the wider picture of variability in Portuguese past participles, whose roots can be traced back to Latin. I benefited from the expertise at Oxford in combining modern and historical information to get a better explanation for the syntactic patterns we see.
Do you have any advice for students thinking of applying to do research at Oxford?
I’d recommend anyone considering applying to get in touch with a potential supervisor early, and try to visit the university or contact current students to get a feel for what studying here is like. People in the faculty have a very wide range of interests, but it’s important to make sure your research will fit in well. Some areas, such as syntax or Romance linguistics, are better supported than others, with more people involved, and more classes, discussion groups, and seminars where you can present and get feedback on your work. I have found my time here so far a very positive experience and would encourage anyone to apply.
MSt students
Annika Ester Maresia (MSt 2017-2018)
Why did you choose Oxford?
I chose Oxford because, although linguistics was a big part of my undergraduate degree in English, I wanted to get a solid basis in general linguistics and general historical linguistics before embarking on a doctorate. My professors in my undergraduate institution were also very supportive of my application, and some had done the same course.
Which options have you taken alongside Paper A, and why?
Alongside Paper A, I've taken a module in Historical & Comparative Linguistics and in Writing Systems. I chose the former because I wanted to deepen and refine my understanding of mechanisms of language change, and the latter I picked because I'm very interested in the topic but lacked formal training. My proposed doctoral project is on historical orthography so I also chose these options with an eye to that.
What aspects of the MSt have you enjoyed the most?
The tutorials in my option papers have been as enjoyable as they have been challenging and intellectually stimulating. I have benefitted immensely from researching and writing my tutorial papers, and have had great fun discussing them with my tutors.
Do you have any advice for students thinking of applying to study at Oxford?
If you're applying for a one-year masters and are thinking of applying for a doctorate degree to begin right after you’ve finished your masters, start working on your PhD proposal early!
Ali Hussain (MSt 2017-2018)
Ali Hussain:
Why did you choose Oxford?
For me, the university's reputation, together with the strengths of the Faculty of Linguistics were the defining factors. The Faculty of Linguistics offers an assortment of courses to choose from and the most renowned scholars in the discipline for one's lecturers, tutors and supervisors.
Which options have you taken alongside Paper A, and why?
I have taken option B (ii) Syntax and Thesis. These courses are well-tuned to my aims of building strong foundations in theoretical syntax and gain a command of Acoustic Phonetics (with the added benefit of producing a thesis), respectively.
What aspects of the MSt have you enjoyed the most?
I believe the MSt is a rare opportunity to fast-track one's academic goals, which for me has been the most important thing. True an MSt is challenging but, being a 9 month long graduation package for one's career, with plentiful options to choose from and certainly no little time to work on it, it is also very exciting.
Do you have any advice for students thinking of applying to study at Oxford?
If you have an offer already, jump aboard right away. If you do not have an offer yet, but are clear in your goals, can express them coherently and feel confident in your abilities to undertake them, then an opportunity is definitely coming your way.