Personal Statement - French and Linguistics 1

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

My interest in languages and linguistics stems from exposure to more than one language since birth. My father speaks the Cornish language to me on a regular basis and although I am not fully bilingual, my knowledge of two languages from an early age has helped me understand and appreciate differing linguistic structures and inspired me to further my study of languages.

Linguistics attracts me because of the number and diversity of branches of study, spanning the gap between arts and science subjects; I first began seriously considering a degree in linguistics after reading David Crystal's "Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language" and becoming aware of this enormous variety. I was particularly intrigued by the section concerning philology and how a few changes in a language can over time create geographical distortions sufficient to give birth to a whole new family of mutually unintelligible languages. I have always enjoyed studying a range of subjects and feel that a degree in French and Linguistics would allow me to continue to work with differing topics: the opportunity to study French culture and literature would balance some of the more technical and biological aspects of linguistics and contribute to a vast breadth of study.

French was the first foreign language I formally studied and as I have grown more confident with the language my interest in it has deepened, especially regarding its grammatical structure and etymology, something which studying it along with linguistics would permit me to investigate in depth. This year I read "Parlez-vous franglais?" by Etiemble, which was written before the establishment of the Academie francaise [this isn't actually true, but evidently universities didn't care] and deals with the then seemingly ubiquitous invasion of the French language by English words. The middle section of the book proposes a grammar for a hypothetical dialect of French which has been subjected to the same anglicising modifications as those found in the examples elsewhere in the book, and this cleverly illustrates how the conventions in spelling of English and French vary and the linguistic differences between them, which I found especially intriguing. I also recently read Camus' "L'Etranger", whose explorations of isolation and belief in God showed me that studying French and its literature is not only a linguistic discipline but leads to further cultural, sociological and historical investigation.

How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?

Taking Latin for A-level has furthered my understanding of the history and development of languages, as well as exercising my skills of literary criticism in a way which moves beyond that offered by my other subjects. I have also been attending Ancient Greek lessons after school, which has broadened my linguistic knowledge and allows me to see more clearly how the vocabulary of these ancient languages has evolved into that of the modern ones I have encountered.

I have recently completed the Extended Project Qualification on the subject of whether the Cornish language revival is successful. Being connected with this movement means that I have come to recognise the linguistic importance of this issue, and undertaking such a project allowed me to examine it in a more academic way and increase my awareness of the problems surrounding conservation of any minority language, many of which are becoming more and more threatened as globalisation increases.

What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?

My enthusiasm for music has led to a diploma in performance on the piano and additional grade eights in cello, singing and theory, and membership of several choirs in and out of school. Composition and the theory of music interest me especially and their logical, patterned qualities, along with those of mathematics which I am also studying for A-level, echo the rules of grammar and syntax and the structured approach often required for the study of languages and linguistics.

I would welcome the opportunities provided by a university education, and the chance to pursue the development of my linguistic, literary and analytical skills.

Universities applied to:

• Oxford
• Southampton
• York
• Manchester
• Lancaster

Grades achieved:

• French (A2) - A*
• Latin (A2) - A*
• Maths (A2) - A*
• Music (A2) - A
• Extended Project - a

How personal statements have changed?

The current personal statement format, with three 'scaffolding' questions, was introduced by Ucas in September 2025. This personal statement was submitted before then, using the old essay-style format. It has been carefully edited into the three-question format, with all of the original wording kept.

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