Undergraduates
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
Alex Biswas (DPhil 2017-, MPhil 2015-2017)
What is your research project?
I am researching inflectional periphrasis; specifically how to best model it in Lexical Functional Grammar, but with an eye to Lexicalist theories of grammar in general. The crux of the issue is that from a Lexicalist perspective, syntax and morphology are distinct and to some degree separate, and Lexicalist frameworks incorporate this view in their architectures, but in the case of periphrasis these two modules must co-operate in a close way.
Why did you choose to do research at Oxford?
Of course the quality and international reputation of Oxford as an institution played a large part in the decision to do my MPhil here, which has led on to my DPhil, but specifically I was attracted to the structure of the MPhil. Having had only enough exposure to linguistics in my undergraduate to whet my appetite, the two year Masters allowed me to build a solid knowledge of a broad variety of linguistic sub-fields before committing to a research topic.
What aspects of your research have you enjoyed the most?
As my research topic is fairly broad, being able to expose myself to the work of lots of others in Oxford’s linguistic community, through lectures, seminars, informal workshops, and even individual meetings, has provided much inspiration for my own research.
Do you have any advice for students thinking of applying to do research at Oxford?
The massive diversity of linguistics as a discipline is well represented at Oxford, so make sure to sample a wide variety of what’s on offer. While of course one’s own research topic is the priority, few people are only interested in only one narrow sub-field of linguistics to the exclusion of everything else, and being at Oxford is the ideal opportunity to develop those other interests.
Jamie Findlay (DPhil 2015-, 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
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.
