GE 2133 What Is Applied Linguistics? How Do We Study It?

Lecturer: Xiaoyu XU
GE 2133
Email:
What is Applied Linguistics? xiaoyuxu@cityu.edu.hk
How do we study it? Department of English
1. Literature studies vs Applied Linguistics
What is literature?
• Written works, especially those considered of

superior or lasting artistic merit.
What is applied linguistics?
• Apply the knowledge in linguistics and related

disciplines to solve practical problems in numerous
and complex areas in society in which language
plays a role
2. The history of Applied Linguistics
1946
• First officially recognized as an independent course at the University of

Michigan.
• In United States and in Great Britain, it refers to applying a so-called
'scientific approach' to teaching foreign languages, including English for
non-native speakers.
1964
• The International Association of Applied Linguistics funded by the Council

of Europe broadened the term to include automatic translation.
Today
• Apply the knowledge in linguistics and related disciplines (e.g., education,

sociology, psychology, law and computer science) to solve practical
problems in numerous and complex areas in society in which language
plays a role.
What about Applied Linguistics in other parts of the world?
Activity 1
1) search online for the history of Applied Linguistics of your mother tongue (5min)
1) discuss with groupmates in breakout rooms (5min)
3. What is Applied Linguistics?
Applied linguistics is a field that applies the

knowledge in linguistics and related
disciplines to solve practical problems in
numerous and complex areas in society in
which language plays a role.
We can't really start to answer that question of what

Applied Linguistics is without first considering what
Linguistics is and how applied linguistics relates to
that field.
3.1 What is linguistics?
There are numerous misconceptions surrounding the term.
Linguistics is:
1) NOT about speaking many different languages
• The name for a person who can speak many languages is a
‘polyglot’, not a ‘linguist’.
• Asking a linguist how many languages they speak is like
asking a doctor how many diseases they have had.
• Linguists study languages (and language). They look at
languages as data and learn to recognize and analyse
patterns and differences within and between languages,
just as doctors learn to recognize and analyse signs and
symptoms of diseases.
Linguistics is:
2) NOT about knowing everything about language
• Like many professionals, such as scientists, doctors or
engineers, linguists can specialise in one of many areas,
such as grammar, phonology or semantics.
• However, the study of language is a massive field and
although a linguist may have a general knowledge of many
areas of language, they cannot be expected to know
everything.
Linguistics is:
3) NOT about telling people how to use language correctly
• It is often assumed that linguists will settle discussions
about what is ‘correct’ or ‘incorrect’ in language.
• However, linguists describe rather than prescribe – they
analyse what people do with language not what they
should do.
• A linguist might ask, for instance, ‘Which speakers (what
ages, which genders, which regions, etc.) prefer ‘between
you and I’, and which prefer ‘between you and me’?
Linguistics is:
4) NOT only for academics
• Linguists can work in industry (e.g., natural language
processing, translators/interpreters for multinational
companies).
• Many work in education (e.g., as a curriculum planner or as
a teacher of English as a second language).
• Some linguists work in government (e.g., advising on
language policy and planning, or in publishing, writing or
editing textbooks).
• Some even end up working in the entertainment industry
(e.g., a voice coach for actors and presenters).
Linguistics is:
5) NOT just about grammar
Although grammar is a key part of language, it is only one part
among many (e.g., phonetics, phonology, morphology,
semantics, gestures and sign language, language acquisition).
What is it about?
Examples:
1) How does a remote Amazonian tribal language originated?
(the origins of language)
What is it about?
Examples:
2) How do the word stress patterns in English differ from
those in French? (phonetics)
What is it about?
Examples:
3) How to articulate
the word “peanut”? (phonetics)
/ˈpiːnʌt/
What is it about?
Examples:
4) How are the elements in the words “university” and
“philosophy” and what is the history of these words?
(Morphology and Etymology)
What are the elements in the word “university”?
Latin roots universus + veritas

“whole” “truth”
“seeking truth together”
What are the elements in the word “philosophy”?

Greek roots philo + sophia
“love” “wisdom”
“love of wisdom”
What is it about?
Examples:
5) Does English have more prepositions than Chinese and
Korean? (Grammar)
English: at, in, on, near, with, without, of, for, to, into
Mandarin: 在
What is it about?
Examples:
6) How does the structure of words and sentences work in
English language? (syntax)
What is it about?
Examples:
7) How are questions formed in Cantonese? (syntax)
大家近來怎樣？辛苦嗎？有否徹夜難眠？有否覺得灰心？
What is it about?
Examples:
8) What are the meanings of the English word “call”?
(Semantics)
What is it about?
Examples:
9) How do we use words and phrases to create meaning in
Hindi? (Semantics)
What is it about?
Examples:
10) How to make a word play? (Semantics)
Marry had a little lamb
a word play based on Polysemy
same written form, related
meanings
I just had a date

a word play based on homonyms
same written form, different
meanings
You are sun of a beach

a word play based on Homophones
different written forms, similar
pronunciations, different meanings
What is it about?
Examples:
11) How does body language/sign language work?
What is it about?
Linguistics is a scientific study of language. It tries to describe

and analyse how languages work in terms of
1) pronunciations (phonetics & phonology)
2) word formation (morphology & etymology)
3) meanings (semantics)
4) grammar
5) sentence structure (syntax)
6) gestures/body language/sign language
7) …
Activity 2
Work with your groupmates and write down three linguistic

questions you are interested in based on your daily life
experience.
e.g., my questions:
• What’s the difference between a London accent and a
Birmingham accent?
• Do youngsters today use the word “like” more often than
before?
• Where does my family name come from?
3.2 Applied Linguistics and real-world issues
Applied linguistics is not only interested in exploring how
language works, but also real life questions, issues and
problems.
Examples:
1) How do the protesters communicate using gestures?
(applied gesture study to solve communication problems)
problems.
Examples:
2) how does President Trump convince his audience?
(applied semantics study
to solve communication
problems)
problems.
Examples:
3) Are boys discriminated just like girls? (applied semantics to
address gender discrimination)
problems.
Examples:
4) Why is my partner
so annoying?
(applied semantics to
solve communication
problems)
problems.
Examples:
5) Did he kill his wife? (applied grammar, syntax, semantics,
word formation… to solve crimes)
‘A husband killed his wife a week after their marriage, then

dismembered her body and burned the remains,’ the BBC
reported back in 2013.
problems.
Examples:
6) How to teach English to speakers of other languages?
(applied grammar, word formation,

syntax, semantics, body language,
language acquisition… to solve
teaching & leaning issues)
problems.
Examples:
7) How should doctors communicate with patients?
(applied grammar, syntax, semantics, body language,

to solve communication issues)
Activity 3
Work with your groupmates and write down three applied
linguistic questions you are interested in based on your daily
life experience.
3.3 The boundary between Linguistics and Applied
Linguistics ?
The boundary between linguistics and applied linguistics is
not clear cut, but one way of describing applied linguistics is,
as Chris Brumfit says, "the theoretical and empirical
investigation of real-world problems in which language is a
central issue."
3.4 What are the related disciplines
Applied linguistics is a field that applies the knowledge

in linguistics and related disciplines to solve
practical problems in numerous and complex areas in
society in which language plays a role.
As well as these core areas of linguistics, there

are many fields which combine a focus on
language with some other disciplines.
Cognitive scientists study intelligence and behavior, with a

focus on how nervous systems represent, process, and
transform information.
Cognitive Linguists describe how language interacts with

cognition, how language forms our thoughts, and the
evolution of language parallel with the change in the common
mindset across time.
Cognitive science + Linguistics = Cognitive Linguistics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKK7wGAYP6k
Educational Linguistics (language teaching & learning) = Education + Linguistics
Forensic Linguistics (language & crime) = Law + Linguistics
Psycholinguistics (acquisition of language) = Psychology + Linguistics
Historical linguistics (history of language) = History + Linguistics
Computational linguistics (speech recognition) = Computer Science + Linguistics

There are many other disciplines which involve applying
linguistic knowledge to an understanding of real-world
concerns-- in other words, applied linguistics.
4. Class participation question
Is linguistics about speaking many different languages?
A. Yes
B. No
5. Learning portfolio
1) Search online about how linguistics is applied in your field.

3) Write down a 200-word summary
6. Schedule
1) English for Work Contexts
This session will introduce students to different genres produced at
various workplaces, using genre analysis.
2) English for Forensic Contexts
This session will introduce students to the ways in which language
intersects with the law, including how linguistic analysis can be used
to solve crimes, using idiolect analysis.
3) English for Social Contexts
This session will introduce students to the ways social power is
enacted through spoken and written text, using critical discourse
analysis.
4) English for Educational Contexts
This session will introduce students to the ways key words/phrases
are produced for English teaching and learning in higher education,
using corpus-based analysis.
7. Summary
1) The difference between literature studies and applied linguistics

studies
2) The history of applied linguistics
3) What is applied linguistics
• What is/is not linguistics
• What is applied linguistics
• Applied linguistics & real-world issues
• What are the related disciplines?
8. Weekly reading
Bloch, S. & Antaki, C. (2019). The Pivot Point between Problem

Presentation and Advice in a Health Helpline Service. Applied
Linguistics, 40 (4), 699 – 716.

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Lecturer: Xiaoyu XU

• Written works, especially those considered of

What is applied linguistics?

• Apply the knowledge in linguistics and related

• First officially recognized as an independent course at the University of

• The International Association of Applied Linguistics funded by the Council

• Apply the knowledge in linguistics and related disciplines (e.g., education,

Applied linguistics is a field that applies the

We can't really start to answer that question of what

Latin roots universus + veritas

What are the elements in the word “philosophy”?

I just had a date

You are sun of a beach

Linguistics is a scientific study of language. It tries to describe

Work with your groupmates and write down three linguistic

‘A husband killed his wife a week after their marriage, then

(applied grammar, word formation,

(applied grammar, syntax, semantics, body language,

Applied linguistics is a field that applies the knowledge

As well as these core areas of linguistics, there

Cognitive scientists study intelligence and behavior, with a

Cognitive Linguists describe how language interacts with

Cognitive science + Linguistics = Cognitive Linguistics

Educational Linguistics (language teaching & learning) = Education + Linguistics

Forensic Linguistics (language & crime) = Law + Linguistics

Psycholinguistics (acquisition of language) = Psychology + Linguistics

Historical linguistics (history of language) = History + Linguistics

Computational linguistics (speech recognition) = Computer Science + Linguistics

Is linguistics about speaking many different languages?

1) Search online about how linguistics is applied in your field.

1) The difference between literature studies and applied linguistics

Bloch, S. & Antaki, C. (2019). The Pivot Point between Problem

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