General Linguistics

Deadline for submitting applications: August 1 - November 30

Who the programme is intended for: The programme is intended for graduates of the same or related Bachelor’s degree programme (the similarity of the fields will be assessed based on the application).

Subject matter of the entrance examination: Those interested in studying are accepted on the basis of a motivation letter, in which they describe their relationship to linguistics and the reasons for studying linguistics. The letter will be assessed by the admissions committee. Upload the motivation letter into your electronic applications (rubric “Documents”) by 15 December. Applicants are required to include their full name and application number on the motivation letter.

Waiver of the entrance examination: The entrance examination can be waived for applicants who have passed the Bachelor’s examination in the field/programme of General Linguistics at the Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University (or another university within another philological field) with an excellent (A), very good (B), or good (C) result. The entrance examination may also be waived for applicants whose overall result of the Bachelor's State Examination in programme of General Linguistics at the MU Faculty of Arts was assessed as “passed with excellent results”. However, no more than two years, i.e. four semesters, can have passed since the final state examination was taken. Applicants can ask for a waiver for the entrance examination via email to prijimaci.rizeni@phil.muni.cz.

Website Department of Linguistics and Baltic Languages.

General information on the course of the admission procedure to the follow-up Master’s degree programmes at FA MU can be found here. Documents for the current admission procedure are kept in Materials for Applicants.

Pass/fail line of the entrance examination: 50 points (out of 100).

The objective of the follow-up master study of general linguistics is to enlarge the knowledge, principles and methodologies the students have acquired either during the bachelor’s study of general linguistics or of another philological subject. It is therefore intended for those feeling a need to deepen their knowledge. In the study a whole new block of the Indo-European linguistics courses is newly introduced in order for the students to acquire the understanding of the methodology of historical-comparative phonology, morphology and anthopolinguistics. Concurrently with that, the study focuses on extending the knowledge and competence gained in the bachelor’s study. The courses dedicated to experimental syntax and semantics aim to deepen these disciplines (enabling the students to propose their own design of a linguistic experiment, its processing and subsequent evaluation). The course Word and word formation elaborates the knowledge of morphology, word formation and lexicology, and the course Phonotactics applies an advanced theory of phonology to the area of “phonological syntax”. As an extension of the methodology, the students are provided with the course Grammar, logic, mind, in which they are introduced into formal basics of linguistics, and in which they also learn to apply these formalizations to non-trivial data samples from natural languages.

In addition, the students of the single-subject study are required to study another language for four terms; the students of the single-subject study and extended double-subject study are encouraged to enroll optional courses in line with the topic of their future theses.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• use the advanced analytical methods of structural-functional, generative, formal and historical-comparative linguistics and to apply them
• independently describe and analyze language material using appropriate methods
• design, process and subsequently evaluate a linguistic experiment in a formal model (with advanced statistical methods)

The graduates are prepared for working with language material as well as linguistic theory on a very advanced level including the preparedness to continue, as scientific workers devoting themselves to linguistic topics, in the doctoral study.

In their practice they are capable of the independent analytical work with language material both in the sense of theoretical linguistics and practical thinking and application. They are trained in the ability of critical analytical thinking, equipped with healthy skepticism and generally prepared. They are no longer only users of natural languages, but understand their structure and relation with society and mind.

No required practical training.

The master’s exam of the single-subject and extended double-subject study includes the defense of the master’s thesis whose topic is selected by the students after the consultation with the supervisor. Its objective is to prove the ability of the students to work independently by providing their own insights. By writing it they demonstrate their knowledge and skills acquired in the course of the study. Guidelines for writing the thesis follow the study regulations.

The graduates of the master’s general linguistics study program can enroll in the doctoral study, for example of General linguistics or Comparative Indo-European linguistics. The admission to the doctoral study is guided by general study regulations, and the applicants must pass an admission interview.