Theoretical Linguistics and Cognition

Specialisation of: Linguistics
Degree: Master of Arts in Linguistics
Mode of Study: 1 year
Duration: Full-time
Start date: September, February
Language of instruction: English
Location: Leiden
Croho/isat code: 60815
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In the MA specialisation in Theoretical Linguistics and Cognition, you will concentrate on studying the complexity of natural languages, ranging from their syntactic structure to how humans process and produce language. This one-year programme gives you the opportunity to take advanced courses in all areas of formal grammar – syntax, semantics, phonology – as well as experimental approaches to speech acquisition, clinical linguistics and the modelling of speech and language. The courses are all based upon – or derived from – actual linguistic research carried out at the Leiden University Centre for Linguistics (LUCL), one of the largest linguistics institutes in the Netherlands.

In this programme you can focus on two research areas:

  • Clinical and Experimental Linguistics, the exact identification of language and speech behaviour, will teach you how to define congenital or acquired linguistic disorders. Methods of experimental linguistic research are essential in this track.
  • Theoretical linguistics, which involves the in-depth study of syntactic, phonological or semantic topics. You will explore the formal structures of linguistic phenomena and the way they reveal the human knowledge of language and the cognitive aspects of grammar.

Reasons to choose Theoretical Linguistics and Cognition in Leiden

  1. The Leiden Theoretical Linguistics and Cognition specialisation focuses on the study of the complexity of natural languages.
  2. Students are free to select courses from the rich variety of language programmes at Leiden University – where more than eighty different languages from all over the world are studied – or courses from other universities in the Netherlands.
  3. The relatively small staff of active researchers provides an enthusiastic atmosphere dedicated to accessible education and fruitful research.
  4. The programme’s courses build on actual linguistics research at the Leiden University Centre for Linguistics (LUCL).
  5. We value intensive and informal communication with our students.

Prof. Lisa Cheng

Lisa Cheng

“Linguistics is a part of the Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, where
ground-breaking interdisciplinary research is carried out.”

“The master’s in Linguistics in Leiden is a master’s in formal linguistics. We have designed the programme in such a way that the students can opt for different specialisations (for example, syntax, semantics, phonetics, clinical linguistics). All of our faculty members are dedicated researchers, who are well-known internationally. Students who come to our programme will be able to learn from, and work with these faculty members.

Leiden has a special Chinese library, which is comparable to the Yen-Ching Library in Harvard University. For anyone who would like to work on Chinese linguistics, it is a really wonderful place.

We have formal connections with McGill University (Canada) and Université de Nantes, and informal connections with universities all over the world (including in the United States). There are regular colloquium series and workshops in which master’s students can also participate.

Linguistics is now part of the Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, where a great deal of groundbreaking interdisciplinary research is done. Leiden is now the place to be. My speciality in linguistics is comparative syntax. I compare languages within a language group (such as Chinese and Bantu languages), and I also do cross language-family comparison, such as comparing Greek and Chinese, Romance and Bantu.”