# Theory and History of Language and European Languages
**Source**: https://english.spbu.ru/admission/programms/graduate/theory-and-history-language-and-european-languages
**Parent**: https://english.spbu.ru/admission/programms/graduate
45.04.02
*In Russian*
Level of education Master
Type of instruction Full-time
Duration 2 years
Programme description
- The degree programme "Theory and History of Language and European Languages" is designed for students who wish to conduct research in the theory and/or history of one or more languages, psycho- or sociolinguistics, Indo-European studies, and comparative poetics
- In addition to the general disciplines of the history of linguistics, methodology of linguistic research, and semiotics, the curriculum includes specialised theoretical and practical courses that enable students to acquire research competencies in their chosen field. Depending on the area of specialisation, the programme provides training in one or more foreign languages
Main courses
Balkan Studies
- Balkan Languages
- Translation Theory and History
- Current Issues in Albanian Philology
Baltic Studies
- Comparative and Historical Grammar of Baltic Languages
- Theoretical Comparative Grammar of Baltic Languages
- Dialectology оf Latvian/Lithuanian
- Polish or Estonian
Indo—European Studies
- Morphological / Phonological Systems of Indo—European Languages and Proto—Indo—European Reconstruction
- Latin / Classical Armenian /Ancient Greek Text with Etymological Commentary
- Hittite Text with Etymological Commentary
Minority Languages and Language Policy
- Minority Languages from a Sociolinguistic Perspective
- Methods of Documenting and Studying of Minority Languages
- Minority Languages on the Language Map of Russia and the World
Psycholinguistics and Sociolinguistics
- Psycholinguistics
- Sociolinguistics
- Statistics in Linguistic Research
- Theory of Language Contacts
- Cognitive Processes and the Brain
Theory of Language — History of Linguistics — Comparative Poetics
- Generative Syntax
- Discourse Linguistics
- Theory of Lexicon
- Formal Semantics
- Functional Grammar
Finnish and Translation
- Translation Theory and Practice: Finnish
- Modern Finnish / Hungarian Literature
- Hungarian / Estonian
Languages of the Bible
- Language and Style of the Old Testament
- Patristic Literature
- Apocrypha
- Liturgical Texts
Educational trajectories:
- Indo-European Linguistics
- Psycho- and Sociolinguistics
- Theory of Language History of Linguistics. Comparative Poetics
- Languages of the Bible
Our advantages
The programme is designed to train linguists who are ready for teaching, translation, research and methodological activities. Depending on the chosen educational trajectory, graduates of the programme acquire qualifications that make it possible for them to be engaged in a wide range of humanitarian problems. They also gain in-depth theoretical and practical knowledge in: foreign languages and various aspects of linguistics; translation from ancient languages; research and description of ancient manuscripts; and philological aspects of biblical studies.
Main areas of research
- linguistic typology
- corpus studies of Russian and other languages
- sociolinguistics and language contacts
- perception of spoken and written speech
- psycholinguistic analysis of texts
- linguistics of children's speech
- syntactic research in different languages
- semantics and pragmatics
- comparative study of European languages
- Albanian language and literature
- Latvian studies
- Lithuanian studies
- various aspects of studying minor languages
- general and diachronic phonology
- comparative poetics
- history and methods of linguistics
- the Bible and its translations into ancient and modern languages
- early Christian literature
- reception of the biblical text in the literature of European countries
Career opportunities
The programme is aimed at training specialists in the field of theoretical and applied linguistics capable of research, teaching and management activities in the chosen field, depending on the area of specialisation. The graduates can work as highly qualified translators in various fields as well as teachers and researchers.
[This webpage may contain outdated information. The programme descriptions and admission requirements for the 2026/2027 academic year are currently being updated. For the latest information on 2026/2027 admission, please visit the Admissions Office website.](https://abiturient.spbu.ru/en/)
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