Applied Linguistics

Definitions of Applied Linguistics

Applied linguistics has been defined by Brumfit (1997:93) as  “ the
theoretical and empirical investigation of real-world problems in which
language is a central issue”. Schmit and Celce-Muria (2002: 1) define applied
linguistics as using of what we know about (a) language, (b) how it is learned,
and (c) how it is used, in order to achieve some purposes or solve some
problems in the real world. Grabe (2002 : 9) states that “ The focus of applied
linguistics is on trying to resolve language- based problems that people
encounter In the real world”. Applied linguistics is an interdisciplinary field of
study that goes beyond pure linguistics. Applied linguistics is using linguistics to
solve practical problems. It  identifies, investigates, and offers solutions to
language-related problems in the real world. It relies on the theories and findings
of linguistics. Applied Linguistics is the application of linguistic theories and
methods to solve language problems which have arisen in cultural and social
contexts. Applied linguistics intersects with many branches of knowledge such
as linguistics, anthropology, psychology, sociology, education, and cognitive
science. It attempts to use information from these branches of knowledge to
deal with language problems. It is also interested in contrastive analysis
between languages to help improve language learning and teaching. Major
branches of applied linguistics include bilingualism and multilingualism,
conversation analysis, contrastive linguistics, language assessment, discourse
analysis, language pedagogy, second language acquisition, language
planning and policy, stylistics, pragmatics and translation. Applied linguistics is
characterised by the application of various research areas (for example,
psychological, sociological, anthropological ) to basic issues in language
acquisition, use, analysis , assessment and several other domains. It is classified
into narrow and broad types. In a broad sense, applied linguistics mainly studies
linguistic theories to solve language related problems, such as machine
translation. In a narrow sense, applied linguistics refers language teaching and

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learning. Applied linguistics draws on insights from various study fields such
as linguistics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics and education science.
Characteristics of Applied Linguistics
• Applied linguistics has interdisciplinarity and permeability.
• Applied linguistics owns great practicability value.
• It changes and develops with social changes, so it owns dynamic nature.

• Applied linguistics actually belongs to an independent subject. Its research

theories and methods come from multiple subjects, such as psychology and
pedagogy.
• Pragmatism (utilitarianism) , it is first linked to the need of language
teaching , and secondly, it takes from the theoretical studies of language what
serves language teaching and its employment in practical life.
• Effectiveness, because it looks for effective means and methods to teach
language.
• Examining the similarities and differences between the mother tongue and the
foreign language in order to get to an effective method of teaching.
 Difference between Linguistics and Applied Linguistics
Linguistics is primarily concerned with language in itself and finding
ways of analysing language and building theories that describe language. It is
the scientific study of language by applying a scientific method, making an
observation, formulating a hypothesis, hypothesis testing, and developing a
theory. Studying linguistics enables us to understand how language works, and
how it is used. Linguistics as a field is divided into theoretical linguistics,
applied linguistics, descriptive linguistics, historical linguistics, geographical
linguistics and comparative linguistics. Theoretical linguistics focuses on the
examination of the structure of language in all its manifestations. It includes
phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.
Phonetics: the study of the physical properties of sounds of human language.
Phonology: the study of sounds as discrete, abstract elements in the speaker’s
mind that distinguish meaning.

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Morphology: the study of internal structures of words and how they can be
modified.
Syntax: the study of how words combine to form grammatical sentences.
Semantics: the study of the meaning of words.
Pragmatics –studies how people comprehend and produce a communicative act
or speech act in a concrete speech situation.
Linguistics provides a developed set of scientific knowledge about language that
can guide the activity of the language teacher. It’s up to the applied linguistics to
draw advantages from this knowledge.
Applied linguistics is simply the process of formulating possible
solutions to specific problems using linguistic theory. It’s a subarea of
linguistics which is concerned with the applications of linguistic principles or
theories to certain practical matters. If linguistics is the science of language, and
the major concern of linguists is related to finding and describing the
characteristics of a particular language, applied linguistics takes those findings
and applies them to other areas. Applied linguistics is the study of language and
linguistics in relation to practical problems, such as lexicography, translation,
speech pathology, etc. Applied linguistics uses information from sociology,
psychology, anthropology, and information theory as well as from linguistics in
order to develop its own theoretical models of language and language use, and
then uses this information and theory in practical areas such as syllabus design,
speech therapy, language planning, stylistics, etc. Applied linguistics uses the
results of theoretical studies: it is therefore a “consumer” or “User” but not a
producer of theories. Talking about applied is to refer to the aspects of the
overall teaching operation of a language in which decisions are made in the light
of the knowledge of the nature of human language, of how it is acquired, and of
its role in society. The intention of the applied linguist is to provide the language
teacher with effective means to teach his students to speak a language. The
applied linguist makes a choice among the data provided by linguistics,
interprets them, reorganises them and adapts them to meet his immediate need:
language teaching.
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Applied linguistics: An Intermediary
To bridge the gap between the theories of linguistics and the practice of
language teaching, applied linguistics serves as a mediating area that interprets
the results of linguistic theories and makes them user-friendly to the language
teacher and learner.
Applied linguistics is conductive to language teaching in two major aspects:
In the first place, applied linguistics extends theoretical linguistics in the
direction of language learning and teaching, so that the teacher is enabled to
make better decisions on the goal and content of the teaching. When faced with
the task of designing a syllabus, the teacher has a number of choices concerning
language materials, principles of compiling or choosing textbooks and exercises.
In this case, the teacher is consciously or unconsciously using his understanding
of the nature of learning. Applied linguistics provides the teacher with a formal
knowledge of the nature of language and language system, and thus increases
his understanding of the nature of language learning. As a result, the teacher can
make more informed decisions on what approach to take, hence what to teach.
Secondly, applied linguistics states the insights and implications that
linguistic theories have on the language teaching methodology. Once the goal
and content of the teaching are settled, the teacher has to consider questions of
how to teach. Should the teaching-learning process be teacher-centered,
textbook-centered, or learner-centered? How should the learner’s errors be
treated? What techniques should be adopted in the classroom? Since applied
linguistics defines the nature of language learning in connection with various
linguistic theories, it helps the teacher to choose teaching methods and
techniques.
Scope of Applied Linguistics
Applied linguistics is a broad and macro-level term that includes many
areas of concern. The combination of language and real world problems is the
constituent feature of applied linguistics. Many activities have been included
under the umbrella of applied linguistics such as contrastive linguistics and error
analysis, discourse analysis, evaluation, assessment, and testing, interpreting and
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translating, lexicography and lexicology, etc. The scope of applied linguistics is
really broad. It means that applied linguistics is really the engineer of language
to solve real life problems.
The Education Need for Linguistics
There are many arguments for teaching knowledge about language. A
deeper understanding of language deserves a place in any curriculum because of
its intellectual benefits; it is important for learners to understand the faculty
which makes social life possible. Teaching knowledge about language improves
the language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Language is
fundamental to every person, and not just to those persons where it is the
primary object of study. Linguists make an important contribution to educational
work. First, they can provide technical understanding deriving from linguistic,
psycho- or socio-linguistic research to address educational problems.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it must be sated that in any applied linguistics practical
investigation, there is always a theoretical model to start from. Applied
linguistics is driven by real-world language problems rather than by theoretical
explorations of internalised language knowledge. Applied linguistics is based on
the need to see language as functional and discourse based and be aware of the
fact that no single discipline can provide all the tools and resources to address
language-based real-world problems. Addressing language problems requires
applying a wide range of research tools and methodologies. Applied linguistics
extends beyond language teaching and learning issues to encompass language
assessment, translation, lexicography, bilingualism and multilingualism, etc.
This is what makes applied linguistics draw on many supporting  disciplines in
addition to linguistics (e.g., anthropology, education, psychology, and
sociology). Applied linguistics is problem driven and real-world based rather
than theory driven and disconnected from real language use data. It is worth
stressing that linguistics remains a core resource for applied linguistics.

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Questions and Tasks
1. Explain the following statement in the form of a composition:
Applied linguistics is both interdisciplinary and empirical.
2. How does applied linguistics establish a bridge between theory and practice?
3. Write a short essay to answer the following question:
How does applied linguistics make use of the findings of general linguistics?