Celtic and Linguistics MA (Hons)

The University of Edinburgh

This programme offers you the opportunity to investigate the languages, literatures and cultures of the Celtic worlds alongside linguistic study in a worldwide context. **Celtic** In Celtic, we work with the medieval literary tradition in Early Irish and Medieval Welsh (the most extensive in the whole of Europe), as well as Scottish Gaelic and Irish from the late Middle Ages to the present. We also explore the rich oral tradition recorded from the 18th century to the present day, and with poetry from the 18th century golden age of Gaelic literature. You will study 19th and 20th century responses to the rapid social, cultural, and linguistic changes in countries where the Celtic languages are spoken. You will also study the writing, song, and media production emerging from the lively and varied contemporary cultural scene in Gaelic Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.Our expertise spans theoretical and practical issues of current sociolinguistics, language policy and language revitalisation. **Scottish Gaelic** Scottish Gaelic is at the heart of our Celtic programme, and at honours level, it is also possible to study the medieval Celtic languages. At all levels, we offer courses in language, literature, history, and culture, enabling you to build your programme by developing your own interests in particular areas, periods, and disciplines of Celtic studies. **Linguistics** The study of linguistics enables you to investigate the development of languages, using theories of language structure, language acquisition, and language use. You will have the opportunity to formulate and test scientific hypotheses about linguistic phenomena, and you will learn to use specialist equipment and software for the analysis of the sounds of a language. You will be able to describe the phenomena and processes that influence the changes that languages undergo over time.