bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

additionalInfoBoxes

quizIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Michelle Chan

Name: Polly Lam

Age: 21

Course: Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Linguistics and Language Technology

School: The City University of Hong Kong

Year of Study: Year Two

Duration of programme: Three years

Young Post: What have you studied on your course?

Lam: My course is divided into two main streams: language and linguistics, and language-related computer applications.

The core subjects in the language and linguistics stream are phonetics, phonology, syntax, semantics and  language in society.

In the computer stream, students are taught computational linguistics, electronic publishing and other advanced topics, such as computer-assisted language learning and instrumental phonetics.

YP: What is the connection between languages and computers?

L: Computers  can assist language learning.

With the help  of computers, people can learn and study on their own. There's no need to attend classes.

Computers also teach more accurate pronunciation and can give us a better understanding of  how sentences should be structured.

YP:  Do you have to complete an internship as part of the course?

L: No, we don't. But we have to hand in a final year project.

YP: How many hours of  class  do you have a week?

L: The number of hours  depends on the number of courses you take.

Generally, it's two hours of lectures and an hour's tutorial  for each subject.

The professor divides the  class into small groups and students attend tutorial sessions at different times.

During tutorial sessions, the tutor hands out supplementary exercises and answers questions  about topics covered  in the lectures.

YP: Which  subject do you like  best?

L:  My favourite  subject is computational linguistics.

I like it most because  projects are assigned to us.

In most courses, there aren't many assignments or projects.

For computational linguistics, the  final grade  doesn't only  depend on the exams. Marks from the projects are also counted.

Admission

Applicants have to obtain at least a pass in two AL subjects, or a pass in one AL subject and two AS subjects. A Grade E in AS Use of English and AS Chinese Language and Culture  are also required.

Career prospects

With combined knowledge of languages and computers, graduates can find work in the information sector, with employment opportunities in government, commerce and industry.

Those who want a career in education can take up English teaching posts at secondary schools or universities.

Those with higher aspirations can further their studies and conduct qualitative research and publish papers at universities.



Linguistics and Language Technology