Theoretical

Introduction
Pedagogy

linguistics

What is Applied Linguistics?

Applied linguistics
Psychology

Sociology

Van Lier (1997)

I think it is the applied linguist, who works with language in the real world, who is most likely to have a realistic picture of what language is, and not the theoretical linguist, who sifts through several layers of idealization. Furthermore, it may well be the applied linguist who will advance human kinds understanding of language provided that he or she is aware that no one has the monopoly on the definitions and conduct of science, theory, language research and truth.

Questions addressed in this lecture

1. What is common in most definitions of AL? 2. What are the sub-fields of AL? What language related problems are addressed by these sub-fields? 3. What theories have influenced the development of AL? 4. What are the two approaches to AL?

1. Definitions
AL is the utilisation of the knowledge about the nature of language achieved by linguistic research for the improvement of the efficiency of some practical task in which language is a central component. (Corder, 1974, p. 24) Whenever knowledge about language is used to solve a basic language-related problem, one may say that applied linguistics is being practiced. AL is a technology which makes abstract ideas and research findings accessible and relevant to the real world; it mediates between theory and practice. (Strevens, 1992, p. 76) AL is a practice-driven discipline that addresses language problems in real-world contexts (Kaplan,
2002)

What problems are related to language?

Language learning problems Language teaching problems Literacy problems Language contact problems (lang & culture) Language policy and planning problems Language assessment problems Language use problems Language and technology problems Translation and interpretation problems Language pathology problems

Scope of applied linguistics

Language teaching and learning Language testing Psycho- and neurolinguistics Sociolinguistics Discourse analysis Computational linguistics Translation studies

Topics from the 2005 AILA conference

Adult language learning Learner autonomy in language learning Language and business Child language Contrastive linguistics and error analysis Communication in the professions Discourse analysis Language and ecology Educational technology and language learning Foreign language teaching methodology and teacher education Forensic linguistics Immersion education Interpreting and translating

Language contact and language change Language education in multilingual settings Lexicography and lexicology Language and gender Literacy Language planning Language for special purposes Language and the media Mother tongue education Psycholinguistics Rhetoric and stylistics Sign language Second language acquisition Evaluation, assessment and testing

What characterizes AL?

It is an academic discipline (journal, organisations, etc.) Linguistics provides core knowledge for AL. Real-world language driven problems practical Interdiciplinary Several sub-fields

History
First course in AL in 1946 at the University of Michigan Charles Fries and Robert Lado Language Learning: A Quaterly Journal of Applied Linguistics Center for Applied Linguistics Edinburgh 1957 Charles Ferguson

International Association of Applied Linguistics 1964 EU (foreign language teaching and automatic translation)

Major factors influencing the development of AL

Contrastive analysis Chomsky - LAD Hymes communicative competence Austin and Searle speech acts Halliday systemic grammar

Approaches to AL
Practical approach teaching and learning oriented Theoretical approach starts out from theory

Major AL organisations
TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) IATEFL (International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language) AAAL (American Association for Applied Linguistics) MANYE (Magyar Alkalmazott Nyelvszek Egyeslete)

Major periodicals
Theoretical
Applied Linguistics

Practical
ELT Journal

Hungarian
Alkalmazott Nyelvtudomny Modern Nyelvoktats novELTy (in English) Nyelvinfo Nyelvi Mrce

English Teaching Language Learning Language Teaching Forum Modern English Research Teacher Language Testing Practical English Modern Language Teaching Journal TESOL Journal Studies in Second Language Acquisition System TESOL Quarterly

Why study SLA?

BILINGUALISM IS GENERAL RATHER THAN EXCEPTIONAL Growing up bilingually International travel, education, work Minorities Migrants and refugees Globalisation

Review questions
1. What is common in most definitions of AL? 2. What are the sub-fields of AL? What language related problems are addressed by these subfields? 3. What theories have influenced the development of AL? 4. What are the two approaches to AL? 5. List the technical terms you have encountered in this lecture.

What areas of AL do these titles represent?

Negative feedback and positive evidence in taskbased interaction Truncation and missing inflection in initial child L2 German Testing Vocabulary Knowledge: Size, Strength, and Computer Adaptiveness Learning of sociolinguistic variation by advanced FSL learners Gesture and Speech in the Vocabulary Explanations of One ESL Teacher: A Microanalytic Inquiry Inhibition or Compensation? A Multidimensional Comparison of Reading Processes in Dutch and English