Introduction: Applied Linguistics and Language in the 21st Century

1. Background

Since the days of Pit Corder, the establishing father of British applied linguistics in
the 1950s, the discipline of applied linguistics has been usually described as 'The
theoretical and empirical investigation of real-world problems in which language is a
central issue'.

The International Association of Applied Linguistics proclaims: applied linguistics is

an interdisciplinary field of research and practice dealing with practical problems of
language and communication that can be identified, analysed or solved by applying
available theories, methods or results of Linguistics or by developing new theoretical
and methodological frameworks in Linguistics to work on these problems.

The AILA definition is both wider in including more areas and limited in relating
applied linguistics to linguistics proper.

The Cambridge AILA 1969 Congress encompassed first language acquisition,

computational linguistics, forensic linguistics, speech therapy, neurolinguistics,
second language acquisition research, and a host more.

Gradually many regions have declared unilateral independence from applied

linguistics; first language acquisition research quickly disappeared from the fold to
determined its personal organizations, conferences and journals, as did lots 2nd
language acquisition research barely later.

Applied linguistics gatherings in recent times are far less inclusive, although there
may be a increase in the Research Networks consist of Multilingualism: Acquisition
and Use.

The AILA Congress in 2008 had 9 papers on first language acquisition in comparison
with 161 on 2nd language acquisition and 138 on foreign language teaching;
computational linguistics and forensic linguistics were now no longer at the
programme, although new regions like multilingualism have been introduced.

So what issues does applied linguistics solve? If you're concerned about your kid's
speech, you're much more likely to visit a speech therapist than to an applied linguist.

The problem-fixing successes of applied linguistics have included devising

orthographies for languages that don't have any written form and inventing simplified
languages for mariners; applied linguists have performed a part in EU tasks on
translation and on linguistic diversity.

Since applied linguistics is interdisciplinary, the applied linguist is expected to

understand a little about many regions, not only of language, but also of philosophy,
sociology, computer programming, experimental design and many more.
An applied linguist who only does syntax or discourse evaluation is an applied
syntactician or an applied discourse analyst, not a member of the multidisciplinary
applied linguistics profession.

' Alternatively the applied linguist need to be responding to issues put forward by
language teachers, not predetermining what the issues are; the applied linguist is there
to serve teacher's needs, a garage mechanic interpreting the customer's unclear
concept of what is incorrect with their car and placing it right, rather than a car
designer.

Make a corpus evaluation of a place or carry out a Conversation Analysis and you are
doing applied linguistics; describe kid's language or vocabulary and it is first language
acquisition; make an outline of grammar and you are doing syntax.

Public discussion of language troubles is as ill-informed about language because it

became fifty years in the past on the dawn of applied linguistics.

2. The Applied Linguistics of Language Teaching

If the language elements are handled without any theory of language.

The idea of language does not need to come from linguistics however might be
philosophy or literary concept: crucially applied linguistics can't deal with language as
if there were no traditions of language observe whatsoever.

An concept from mathematical theory, computer simulation or first language

acquisition needs to show its credentials through proving its link to 2nd language
teaching by L2 proof and argument, not implementing itself by fiat, by analogy, or by
sheer computer modelling.

If one were, say, to adopt knitting concept as a foundation for the applied linguistics
of language teaching, one would want to demonstrate how warp and weft account for
the primary phenomena of language acquisition and use by showing empirical proof
of their applicability to 2nd language acquisition.

The choice of language to be taught was one issue: why choose say French because
the language to be taught in English schools? Choosing a language due to its
worldwide currency strengthened the language strength structure of the globe, adding
to the strength of ex-colonial languages like English and Spanish or of religion-related
languages like Arabic and Hebrew.

The language teaching techniques encouraged with the aid of using applied linguists
consisting of communicative language teaching and task-based getting to know have
been a brilliant help in developing exploitation exercises.

As Michael Swan points out, to take advantage of some thing it needs to be there in
the first place; you cannot do the communicative activities or the responsibilities
without having the basic vocabulary, syntax and phonology to draw on:
communicative language teaching and taskbased learning presuppose a prior
knowledge of some language.
3. This Volume: Individuals Looking to the Future

Rather the participants here are people laying out their thoughts of a future for
language teaching.

The quantity starts with three chapters that try to base twenty-first century language
teaching on sound thoughts about how humans learn a second language.

Macaro makes guidelines for techniques-based intervention in language teaching

based on the new revitalization of the studying strategies field.

Cook applies the multi-competence technique to suggest that teaching has to

understand the diversity of groups of second language users.

Nation examines the benefits of simplified vocabulary in language teaching by the

lens of simplified readers.

These chapters stimulate due to the power of their character perspectives of language
teaching from an applied linguistic perspective; comparison the optimism of Byram
about multilingualism in Europe with the Emperor's Clothes perspectives of latest
language teaching techniques by Swan.

These are very a lot people looking to build the future of language teaching grounded
on a strong idea of language in applied linguistics, united by a common perception in
the importance of multilingualism to people and to societies.