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BA Korean and Linguistics
About this course
Korean is the native language of around 80 million people on the Korean Peninsula and among diaspora communities worldwide, and it is the language of one of the world's most dynamic economies as well as one of its most distinctively global cultural exports. Linguistics is the scientific study of language itself, examining how linguistic systems are structured, how they are acquired, how they vary across communities, and how they change over time. Combining the two gives you both a practical linguistic competency in a globally significant language and a theoretical framework for understanding language as a human phenomenon. At the School of Oriental and African Studies, you will develop Korean language proficiency while studying linguistics with the rigour and global breadth that SOAS's particular expertise in non-Western languages makes possible. You will engage with the structure of Korean, its typological distinctiveness, and its cultural and historical context, alongside the broader questions of phonology, morphology, syntax, and sociolinguistics that form the core of linguistic study. The programme includes a foundation year and runs over four years full-time. Graduates of Korean and linguistics programmes pursue careers in translation and interpreting, international business, diplomatic and governmental roles, education, language technology, and cultural mediation. Korean-language skills are in growing demand as South Korea's cultural influence and economic reach expand. The linguistics background also opens pathways in natural language processing, computational linguistics, and language teaching, where a strong theoretical grounding in how language works is directly applicable.
Syllabus & Modules
Typical curriculumStudent Satisfaction
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