French and Language & Linguistics at Aberdeen is a great subject combination that adds value to your highly-developed language skills and cultural knowledge in a major European language. The programme explores how human language evolved, how we learn languages and how they differ and change over time. You will gain the all-round knowledge and skills to open up an avenue to a wide variety of careers. French at Aberdeen has an outstanding reputation, gaining the highest possible rating of ‘Excellent’ in the last national Teaching Quality Assessment. You will add to your growing language skills with courses in contemporary civilisation and culture, Francophone and post-colonial studies, philosophy, history, sociology, linguistics, theatre and most genres and periods of literature from the middle ages to the present day.You will be taught by staff recognised internationally for their research, from Renaissance studies to the politics of culture and difference in contemporary France. Language & Linguistics probes deeply into language and speech – analysing and modelling this fascinating human attribute so that we understand ourselves and human societies more fully. You will explore the brain processes speech and language, how languages evolve over time and how we learn second languages.This is an exciting and fast-moving field. Our understanding of language grows all the time with new discoveries in neuroscience, animal behaviour, archaeology, sociology and psychology and new ways to use linguistics theory in industry, medicine and forensic science emerge year on year.