Modern Languages and Linguistics

Number of places at Balliol

Balliol admits about 6 students a year to read either Modern languages or a Joint School with Modern Languages (including Modern Languages and Linguistics).

Subject information

Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages

Faculty of Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics

Course requirements

For information on what subjects you need to study, please see the modern languages faculty website.

College requirements

There is no expectation that you will have studied linguistics before applying. Applicants wishing to read Linguistics with French, German or Spanish should be expected by their school to achieve an A grade at A2-level in that language. For Italian and Linguistics we accept students without formal qualifications, though they must have done some preparation on their own before they arrive, and there is a two-week pre-sessional residential course for beginners or near-beginners in Italian. Anyone hoping to read Portuguese, Modern Greek or Czech may write to the College for an introduction to teachers of these languages. Balliol is not able to accept applications for Russian and Linguistics.

Admissions/Selection criteria 

For information on how applicants are assessed, please see the modern languages faculty website.

Modern Languages and Linguistics at Balliol

Balliol admits about 6 students a year to read either Modern languages or a Joint School with Modern Language (including Modern Languages and Linguistics).

The work in Modern Languages covers language and literature. In the first year work is on a set selection of texts from a variety of periods. After that, students choose their own papers from a wide set of options ranging from the Middle Ages to the present day. The other half of the course focuses on linguistics, where you will be introduced to the analysis of the nature of human language. Topics include the structure and history of languages.

Students are encouraged to build on their existing skills in speaking, reading and writing their chosen languages. A high final standard is expected and, to help students reach it, we offer progressive language teaching throughout the course. Our students spend a year abroad between the second and third years of the course, and we offer help in finding placements either as language assistants or on university courses in their country of choice.

In recent years our graduates have chosen careers in commerce and banking, law (after a conversion course), the civil service, journalism, the media, development and teaching. In most years one or more students opt for further study, either at home or abroad; of these, several now hold university teaching posts in this country and others are teaching abroad in France, Italy, Japan, and the United States.

Tutors

Balliol has one tutorial fellow in Modern Languages:

Sophie Marnette's research offers a linguistic and philological approach to literary issues in Medieval French such as the origins and evolution of literary genres, the expression of narrative voice and point of view, the relationship between history and fiction, etc.

In addition, there is one lecturer in Italian: Professor Diego Zancani; one lecturer in French: Dr Maria O'Sullivan; one lecturer in German: Dr Ray Ockenden and one lektor: Mr Golo Schmidt; one lecturer in Spanish: Dr Maria Donapetry and one research fellow in Romance Linguistics: Dr Sandra Paoli.

Diego Zancani's main research interests are in the history of the Italian language and dialects, in Renaissance and contemporary Italian culture, early printed books and food history.

María Donapetry’s interests and research revolve around contemporary Spanish literature, especially women’s writing, and cinema from all Spanish-speaking countries.

Maria O'Sullivan teaches a range of topics in modern French literature. Her main research interests lie in French literary theory and particularly in the work of Roland Barthes.

Ray Ockenden's research interests include German poetry from the 18th century to the present day, and he has published on 18th century German drama and 19th century German fiction.

Sandra Paoli’s main interests lie within the syntax of Italo-Romance varieties. Her work has investigated features of a number of both Italian – Piedmontese, Ligurian, Ladin, Friulian, Triestino, Calabrese – and Romance – Rumanian, Medieval French, Medieval Tuscan, Medieval Spanish and French acquisition – varieties.

Note that a majority of our teaching staff in Modern Languages are native speakers in the language they teach, an advantage seldom offered by other Oxford colleges.

The College also has an endowment fund called the Victor Hugo Fund, in support of the European Modern Languages