Linguistics and Modern Languages

Linguistics and Modern Languages (LML) combines core elements of (i) our Modern and Medieval Languages (MML) course, which will allow you to gain in depth knowledge of the language, literature, and culture of your target language, together with (ii) our Linguistics course, through which you will be able to explore how the scientific study of human language can help us understand the human mind and its interactions with psychology, physics, biology, history, society, and computer science. The wide range of topics available to study across linguistics and modern languages allows you to pursue your own path in exploring how these areas intersect.

You’ll spend the first year building a general introduction to areas of linguistics as well as building your knowledge of your chosen language and its literature and culture. You can choose to study a language from scratch (ab initio) or post-qualification (i.e. after taking an A Level, IB Higher Level, Advanced Higher, or equivalent in the language).

In your second year, you will continue your studies in linguistics and your chosen language, aiming towards a high command of the language. You may also take an introductory course in a language and culture you haven’t studied before (such as Catalan, Modern Greek, Polish, Portuguese and Ukrainian)

Your third year will be spent abroad, immersing yourself in the language you are studying and preparing a written Year Abroad project. Students typically combine their language immersion with further studies (which can be in Linguistics, Literature, or a wide range of other subjects) and/or work experience in the country of their choice.

In your fourth year, you will return to Cambridge, where you will specialise in areas of your choice - a finalist’s year is always one of a kind and tailored to their interests.

For more information about the course and its modules, visit the University website.

Candidates for LML who are invited to interview will sit one or two centralised admissions assessments, depending on their choice of language. If candidates are applying for a post-qualification language, they will sit a language admissions assessment (also used for Modern and Medieval Languages) and a linguistics admissions assessment (also used for Linguistics). If candidates are applying for an ab initio language (from scratch), they will sit only the linguistics admissions assessment. Candidates do not need to register for the assessment(s) but will be registered by their colleges automatically. Further information about the assessment(s) can be found here.

You will need to submit 2 pieces of written work before your interview. If you are applying for French, one piece should be in French and one in English. For all other applicants, both pieces should be in English.

Applicants for LML will typically be invited to two interviews: one that focuses on Linguistics and one that focuses on the language you have applied for.

The Linguistics interview is designed to explore your logical reasoning and analytical skills, not to test what you already know about linguistics. You can expect to be given data from an unfamiliar language and asked to work through it — for example, you might be shown 20 singular and plural word forms and asked to figure out the patterns behind how that language forms plurals, explaining your reasoning as you go. There are no trick questions, and you won't be expected to have studied linguistics before. You'll also typically have the chance to talk about your personal statement — so it's worth thinking about which parts you'd most enjoy discussing. Throughout the interview, be prepared to be challenged and to consider alternative viewpoints. We're not looking for the "right" answer so much as how you think: how you respond to new ideas, adapt your reasoning, and engage with a problem you haven't seen before.

Before your languages interview, you will be given a passage (in the original foreign language if you are interviewing for a post-A Level language, or in English if you are interviewing for an ab initio language), which we will ask you to read and think about and which we will discuss together with you. We understand that the passages may contain words you are unfamiliar with. There’s no need to worry about this! We are more interested in seeing how you respond to words and concepts you may not be familiar with. We will also draw inspiration from your own personal statement to talk about what interests you about the languages and cultures that you wish to study, whether you have read any books (in the original or in translation) or watched any films that have stuck with you. If you are interviewing for a post-A Level language, part of this conversation will also happen in the foreign language.

We’re looking for intellectually curious applicants with a strong interest in language and excellent analytical skills. 

In Linguistics, a good applicant is typically open-minded, precise, logical, and enjoys grappling with linguistic puzzles and mysteries in a methodical manner. Successful applicants typically show evidence of independent thought and intellectual flexibility in interviews and written work.

In MML, great applicants demonstrate critical skills. Say, for example, you enjoyed a novel you have read recently. What about it was interesting to you? Did the writer employ any narrative devices that impacted your reading experience? Or say you watched a series you found thrilling. Did the soundtrack amplify the action on screen?

It’s important to highlight that we do not expect you to have travelled to countries where the language(s) you wish to study are spoken. We also do not expect you to have had any experiences speaking with native speakers of these languages. Great languages applicants are able to demonstrate that they have taken steps to engage with their target languages in any way that is accessible to them. If you are applying for an ab initio (from scratch) language, we do not expect you to have taken language classes in your own time; rather, what is important is that you have begun exploring it using the resources available to you.

For MML: Be intellectually curious, explore and read independently and critically, be yourself, and show us what you love and why about the literature, media, culture of your target language.

For Linguistics, Start thinking critically about the structure and use of language in everyday life. Whether it’s language games, dialects, undeciphered writing systems, endangered languages, or AI-generated speech, delving into questions you have about how languages work is great preparation for the course.

You can find our more about LML by visiting the University website and the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics website. If you are interested in exploring the individual subjects that make up the joint honours degree of LML, you can read more about Linguistics and Modern and Medieval Languages at King’s.

King’s also runs Open Days where you can get a taste of what studying here is like. The World of Words Residential, in collaboration with Christ’s College, is an opportunity for students who attend UK state schools in Y12/S5/Y13 NI to find out more about life at the University of Cambridge and explore a variety of academic sessions themed around languages, literatures, and cultures. You might also be interested in the Small Subjects Residential, which offers students in UK state schools in Y12/S5/Y13 NI the chance to use interdisciplinary approaches to tackle the world's big questions.