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Applied linguistics
 
 
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Applied linguistics is an interdisciplinary field of study that identifies, investigates, and offers solutions to language-related real-life problems. Some of the academic fields related to applied linguistics are education
Education

File:Inukshuk Monterrey 1.jpgEducation can be seen as a product or a process and considered in a broad sense or a technical sense. According to philosophy of education George F....
, linguistics
Linguistics

Linguistics is the science study of natural language. Linguistics encompasses a number of sub-fields. An important topical division is between the study of language structure and the study of Meaning ....
, psychology
Psychology

Psychology is an academic and applied science discipline involving the science study of human mental functions and behavior. Occasionally it also relies on symbolic hermeneutics and critical theory, although these traditions are less pronounced than in other social sciences such as sociology....
, anthropology
Anthropology

Anthropology is the study of humans and humanity in its totality. Anthropology has origins in the natural sciences, and the humanities. In Great Britain it was originally divided into physical anthropology and cultural anthropology, which itself was divided into archaeology, technology, ethnology and sociology ....
, and sociology
Sociology

Sociology is a branch of the social sciences that uses systematic methods of Empiricism and critical theory to develop and refine a body of knowledge about human social structure and activity, sometimes with the goal of applying such knowledge to the pursuit of social welfare....
.
r branches of applied linguistics include bilingualism and multilingualism
Multilingualism

The term multilingual can refer to an individual speaker who uses two or more languages, a community of speakers in which two or more languages are used, or speakers of different languages....
, computer-mediated communication
Computer-mediated communication

Computer-Mediated Communication is defined as any communicative transaction which occurs through the use of two or more networked computers. While the term has traditionally referred to those communications that occur via computer-mediated formats it has also been applied to other forms of text-based interaction such as text messaging....
 (CMC), conversation analysis
Conversation analysis

Conversation analysis is the study of talk in interaction. CA generally attempts to describe the orderliness, structure and sequential patterns of interaction, whether this is institutional or casual conversation....
, contrastive linguistics
Contrastive linguistics

The term contrastive linguistics refers to a practice-oriented approach whose aim is to describe the differences and similarities between a pair of languages ....
, language assessment
Language assessment

Language Assessment or Language Testing is a field of study under the umbrella of applied linguistics. Its main focus is the assessment of first, second or other language in the school, college, or university context; assessment of language use in the workplace; and assessment of language in the immigration, citizenship, and asylum con...
, literacies
Literacy

The traditional definition of literacy is considered to be the ability to read and write, or the ability to use language to Reading , Writing, Listening, and Speech communication....
, discourse analysis
Discourse analysis

Discourse analysis , or discourse studies, is a general term for a number of approaches to analyzing written, spoken or signed language use....
, language pedagogy
Pedagogy

Pedagogy , or paedagogy is the art or science of being a teacher. The term generally refers to strategies of instruction, or a style of instruction....
, second language acquisition
Second language acquisition

Second language acquisition is the process by which people learn a second language in addition to their first language. The term second language is used to describe the acquisition of any language after the acquisition of the mother tongue....
, lexicography
Lexicography

The pursuit of lexicography is divided into two related disciplines:*Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionary....
, language planning
Language planning

Language planning refers to deliberate efforts to influence the behaviour of others with respect to the acquisition, structure, or functional allocation of language....
 and policies, pragmatics
Pragmatics

Pragmatics or intent is the study of how the arrangement of words and phrases can alter the meaning of a sentence, it deals with the structural ambiguity in a sentence....
, forensic linguistics
Forensic linguistics

Forensic linguistics is a field of applied linguistics involving the relationship between language, the law, and crime....
, and translation
Translation

Translation is the hermeneutics of the Meaning of a text and the subsequent production of an Dynamic and formal equivalence text, likewise called a "translation," that communicates the same message in another language....
.

Major journals of the field include "Annual Review of Applied Linguistics", "Applied Linguistics", "International Review of Applied Linguistics", "International Journal of Applied Linguistics", "Issues in Applied Linguistics", and "Language Learning".

tradition of applied linguistics established itself in part as a response to the narrowing of focus in linguistics with the advent in the late 1950s of generative linguistics
Generative linguistics

Generative linguistics is a school of thought within linguistics that makes use of the concept of a generative grammar. The term "generative grammar" is used in different ways by different people, and the term "generative linguistics" therefore has a range of different, though overlapping, meanings....
, and has always maintained a socially accountable role, demonstrated by its central interest in language problems.

Although the field of applied linguistics started from Europe and the United States, the field rapidly flourished in the international context.

United States

Although it is not clear when the field of applied linguistics began, the first issue of "Language Learning: A Journal of Applied Linguistics" was published from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan

The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan is a public university research university located in the state of Michigan. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan, which also includes two regional campuses in University of Michigan-Flint and University of Michigan-Dearborn....
 in 1948.






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Applied linguistics is an interdisciplinary field of study that identifies, investigates, and offers solutions to language-related real-life problems. Some of the academic fields related to applied linguistics are education
Education

File:Inukshuk Monterrey 1.jpgEducation can be seen as a product or a process and considered in a broad sense or a technical sense. According to philosophy of education George F....
, linguistics
Linguistics

Linguistics is the science study of natural language. Linguistics encompasses a number of sub-fields. An important topical division is between the study of language structure and the study of Meaning ....
, psychology
Psychology

Psychology is an academic and applied science discipline involving the science study of human mental functions and behavior. Occasionally it also relies on symbolic hermeneutics and critical theory, although these traditions are less pronounced than in other social sciences such as sociology....
, anthropology
Anthropology

Anthropology is the study of humans and humanity in its totality. Anthropology has origins in the natural sciences, and the humanities. In Great Britain it was originally divided into physical anthropology and cultural anthropology, which itself was divided into archaeology, technology, ethnology and sociology ....
, and sociology
Sociology

Sociology is a branch of the social sciences that uses systematic methods of Empiricism and critical theory to develop and refine a body of knowledge about human social structure and activity, sometimes with the goal of applying such knowledge to the pursuit of social welfare....
.

Domain

Major branches of applied linguistics include bilingualism and multilingualism
Multilingualism

The term multilingual can refer to an individual speaker who uses two or more languages, a community of speakers in which two or more languages are used, or speakers of different languages....
, computer-mediated communication
Computer-mediated communication

Computer-Mediated Communication is defined as any communicative transaction which occurs through the use of two or more networked computers. While the term has traditionally referred to those communications that occur via computer-mediated formats it has also been applied to other forms of text-based interaction such as text messaging....
 (CMC), conversation analysis
Conversation analysis

Conversation analysis is the study of talk in interaction. CA generally attempts to describe the orderliness, structure and sequential patterns of interaction, whether this is institutional or casual conversation....
, contrastive linguistics
Contrastive linguistics

The term contrastive linguistics refers to a practice-oriented approach whose aim is to describe the differences and similarities between a pair of languages ....
, language assessment
Language assessment

Language Assessment or Language Testing is a field of study under the umbrella of applied linguistics. Its main focus is the assessment of first, second or other language in the school, college, or university context; assessment of language use in the workplace; and assessment of language in the immigration, citizenship, and asylum con...
, literacies
Literacy

The traditional definition of literacy is considered to be the ability to read and write, or the ability to use language to Reading , Writing, Listening, and Speech communication....
, discourse analysis
Discourse analysis

Discourse analysis , or discourse studies, is a general term for a number of approaches to analyzing written, spoken or signed language use....
, language pedagogy
Pedagogy

Pedagogy , or paedagogy is the art or science of being a teacher. The term generally refers to strategies of instruction, or a style of instruction....
, second language acquisition
Second language acquisition

Second language acquisition is the process by which people learn a second language in addition to their first language. The term second language is used to describe the acquisition of any language after the acquisition of the mother tongue....
, lexicography
Lexicography

The pursuit of lexicography is divided into two related disciplines:*Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionary....
, language planning
Language planning

Language planning refers to deliberate efforts to influence the behaviour of others with respect to the acquisition, structure, or functional allocation of language....
 and policies, pragmatics
Pragmatics

Pragmatics or intent is the study of how the arrangement of words and phrases can alter the meaning of a sentence, it deals with the structural ambiguity in a sentence....
, forensic linguistics
Forensic linguistics

Forensic linguistics is a field of applied linguistics involving the relationship between language, the law, and crime....
, and translation
Translation

Translation is the hermeneutics of the Meaning of a text and the subsequent production of an Dynamic and formal equivalence text, likewise called a "translation," that communicates the same message in another language....
.

Major journals of the field include "Annual Review of Applied Linguistics", "Applied Linguistics", "International Review of Applied Linguistics", "International Journal of Applied Linguistics", "Issues in Applied Linguistics", and "Language Learning".

History

The tradition of applied linguistics established itself in part as a response to the narrowing of focus in linguistics with the advent in the late 1950s of generative linguistics
Generative linguistics

Generative linguistics is a school of thought within linguistics that makes use of the concept of a generative grammar. The term "generative grammar" is used in different ways by different people, and the term "generative linguistics" therefore has a range of different, though overlapping, meanings....
, and has always maintained a socially accountable role, demonstrated by its central interest in language problems.

Although the field of applied linguistics started from Europe and the United States, the field rapidly flourished in the international context.

United States

Although it is not clear when the field of applied linguistics began, the first issue of "Language Learning: A Journal of Applied Linguistics" was published from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan

The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan is a public university research university located in the state of Michigan. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan, which also includes two regional campuses in University of Michigan-Flint and University of Michigan-Dearborn....
 in 1948. Applied linguistics first concerned itself with principles and practices on the basis of linguistics. In the early days, applied linguistics was thought as “linguistics-applied” at least from the outside of the field. In the 1960s, however, applied linguistics was expanded to include language assessment, language policy
Language policy

Many countries have a language policy designed to favour or discourage the use of a particular language or set of languages. Although nations historically have used language policies most often to promote one official language at the expense of others, many countries now have policies designed to protect and promote regional and ethnic langu...
, and second language acquisition. As early as the 1970s, applied linguistics became a problem-driven field rather than theoretical linguistics
Theoretical linguistics

Theoretical linguistics is the branch of linguistics that is most concerned with developing models of linguistic knowledge. The fields that are generally considered the core of theoretical linguistics are syntax, phonology, morphology , and semantics....
. Applied linguistics also included solution of language-related problems in the real world. By the 1990s, applied linguistics has broadened including critical studies and multilingualism. Researches of applied linguistics were shifted to "the theoretical and empirical investigation of real world problems in which language is a central issue."

United Kingdom

The British Association of Applied Linguistics (BAAL) was established in 1967. Its mission is "the advancement of education by fostering and promoting, by any lawful charitable means, the study of language use, language acquisition and language teaching and the fostering of interdisciplinary collaboration in this study [...]"

Australia

Australian applied linguistics took as its target the applied linguistics of mother tongue teaching and teaching English to immigrants. The Australia tradition shows a strong influence of continental Europe and of the USA, rather than of Britain . Applied Linguistics of Association of Australia (ALAA) was established at a national congress of applied linguists held in August 1976.

Japan

In 1982, the Japan Association of Applied Linguistics (JAAL) was established in the Japan Association of College English Teachers (JACET) in order to engage in activities on a more international scale. In 1984, JAAL became an affiliate of the International Association of Applied Linguistics (AILA).

Societies

  • International Association of Applied Linguistics (http://www.aila.info/)


North America
  • American Association for Applied Linguistics (http://www.aaal.org/)
  • Center for Applied Linguistics
    Center for Applied Linguistics

    The Center for Applied Linguistics is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to research and distribute information regarding language and culture....
     (http://www.cal.org/)
  • Canadian Association of Applied Linguistics (http://www.aclacaal.org/)
  • Asociación Mexicana de Lingüística Aplicada (http://www.cele.unam.mx/amlaweb/)


Europe
  • Association Belge de Linguistique Appliquée (http://www.abla.be/)
  • Asociación Española de Lingüística Aplicada (http://www.aesla.uji.es/)
  • Association Finlandaise de Linguistique Appliquée (http://www.cc.jyu.fi/~kmantyla/afinla/!index.html)
  • Association Française de Linguistique Appliquée (http://www.afla-asso.org/)
  • Associazione Italiana di Linguistica Applicata (http://www.aitla.unimo.it/)
  • Association Néerlandaise de Linguistique Appliquée (http://www.aila.info/about/org/ic.htm#SG)
  • Association Norvegienne de Linguistique Appliquée (http://www.hf.ntnu.no/anla/)
  • Association Suédoise de Linguistique Appliquée (http://www.nordiska.su.se/asla/)
  • Association Suisse de Linguistique Appliquée (http://www.vals-asla.ch/cms/)
  • British Association for Applied Linguistics (http://www.baal.org.uk/)
  • Gesellschaft für Angewandte Linguistik (http://www.gal-ev.de/)
  • Greek Applied Linguistics Association (http://www.enl.auth.gr/gala/)
  • Irish Association for Applied Linguistics (http://www.iraal.ie/)
  • Polish Association of Applied Linguistics (http://www.ocot.pl/st_ptls.php?id=8)


Oceania
  • Applied Linguistics Association of New Zealand (http://www.victoria.ac.nz/lals/about/alanz/alanz.html)
  • Applied Linguistics of Association of Australia (http://www.latrobe.edu.au/alaa/)
Asia
  • Asian Association of TEFL (Asia TEFL) (http://www.asiatefl.org/)
  • Applied Linguistics Association of Korea (http://www.alak.or.kr/index.asp)
  • China English Language Education Association (http://www.celea.org.cn/)
  • Hong Kong Association for Applied Linguistics (http://www.haal.hk/)
  • Japan Association of College English Teachers (http://www.jacet.org/index.html)
  • Linguistic Society of the Philippines (http://www.dlsu.edu.ph/inside/organizations/lsp/default.asp)
  • Singapore Association for Applied Linguistics (http://www.saal.org.sg/)


Others
  • Estonian Association of Applied Linguistics (http://www.eki.ee/rakenduslingvistika/index_eng.php)
  • Israel Association of Applied Linguistics (http://www.tau.ac.il/~ilash/)
  • Southern African Applied Linguistics Association (http://www.saala.org.za/)


See also

  • Fremdsprachen und Hochschule
    Fremdsprachen und Hochschule

    Fremdsprachen und Hochschule is a triannual academic journal published by the German Association of University Language Centers ....
  • List of linguists
    List of linguists

    A linguist in the academic sense is a person who studies linguistics. Ambiguously, the word is sometimes also used to refer to a Polyglot , or a grammarian, but these two uses of the word are distinct ....


Further reading

  • Cook, Guy (2003) Applied Linguistics (in the series Oxford Introduction to Language Study), Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Davies, A. & Elder, C. (eds.) (2004) Handbook of Applied Linguistics, Oxford/Malden, MA: Blackwell.
  • Johnson, Keith & Johnson, Helen (1999) Encyclopedic Dictionary of Applied Linguistics, Oxford/Malden, MA: Blackwell.
  • McCarthy, Michael (2001) Issues in Applied Linguistics, Cambridge University Press.
  • Pennycook, Alastair (2001) Applied Linguistics: A Critical Introduction, London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  • Schmitt, Norbert (2002) An Introduction to Applied Linguistics, London: Arnold.