Applied linguistics is the branch of linguistics concerned with using linguistic theory to address real-world problems. It has been traditionally dominated by the fields of language education and second language acquisition (SLA). There is a recurrent tension between those who regard the field as limited to the study of language learning, and those who see it as encompassing all applications of linguistic theory. Both definitions are widely used. The current field is a cross-disciplinary mix of departments primarily from linguistics, anthropology, psychology, and education. Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. ... Theoretical linguistics is that branch of linguistics that is most concerned with developing models of linguistic knowledge. ... Phonetics (from the Greek word φωνή, phone = sound/voice) is the study of sounds (voice). ... The vowels of modern (Standard) Arabic and (Israeli) Hebrew from the phonological point of view. ... Morphology is a subdiscipline of linguistics that studies word structure. ... For other uses, see Syntax (disambiguation). ... In the main, semantics (from the Greek and in greek letters σημαντικός or in latin letters semantikós, or significant meaning, derived from sema, sign) is the study of meaning, in some sense of that term. ... Lexical semantics is a field in computer science and linguistics which deals mainly with word meaning. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Prototype Theory is a model of graded categorization in Cognitive Science, where all members of a category do not have equal status. ... Stylistics is the study of style used in literary, and verbal language and the effect the writer/speaker wishes to communicate to the reader/hearer. ... In linguistics, prescription is the laying down or prescribing of normative rules for the use of a language. ... Pragmatics is generally the study of natural language understanding, and specifically the study of how context influences the interpretation of meanings. ... Psycholinguistics or psychology of language is the study of the psychological and neurobiological factors that enable humans to acquire, use, and understand language. ... Sociolinguistics is the study of the effect of any and all aspects of society, including cultural norms, expectations, and context, on the way language is used. ... Generative linguistics is a school of thought within linguistics that makes use of the concept of a generative grammar. ... In linguistics and cognitive science, cognitive linguistics (CL) refers to the currently dominant school of linguistics that views the important essence of language as innately based in evolutionarily-developed and speciated faculties, and seeks explanations that advance or fit well into the current understandings of the human mind. ... Computational linguistics is an interdisciplinary field dealing with the statistical and logical modeling of natural language from a computational perspective. ... Descriptive linguistics is the work of analyzing and describing how language is actually spoken now (or how it was actually spoken in the past), by any group of people. ... Historical linguistics (also diachronic linguistics or comparative linguistics) is primarily the study of the ways in which languages change over time. ... Historical linguistics (also diachronic linguistics or comparative linguistics) is primarily the study of the ways in which languages change over time, by means of examining languages which are recognizably related through similarities such as vocabulary, word formation, and syntax, as well as the surviving records of ancient languages. ... Etymology is the study of the origins of words. ... Efforts to describe and explain the human language faculty have been undertaken throughout recorded history. ... A linguist in the academic sense is a person who studies linguistics. ... Unsolved problems in : Note: Use the unsolved tag: {{unsolved|F|X}}, where F is any field in the sciences: and X is a concise explanation with or without links. ... Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. ... Theoretical linguistics is that branch of linguistics that is most concerned with developing models of linguistic knowledge. ... The word tradition, comes from the Latin word traditio which means to hand down or to hand over. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Second language acquisition, or SLA, is the process by which people learn languages in addition to their native tongue(s). ... The word theory has a number of distinct meanings in different fields of knowledge, depending on their methodologies and the context of discussion. ... Anthropology (from the Greek word , human or person) consists of the study of humanity (see genus Homo). ... Psychology is an academic and applied field involving the study of the human mind, brain, and behavior. ...

The field of applied linguistics first concerned itself with second language acquisition, in particular errors and contrastive analysis, in the 1950s and 1960s. In the 1970s, with the failure of contrastive analysis as a theory to predict errors, applied linguists began to adopt Noam Chomsky's theory of universal grammar to explain second language (L2) learning phenomena. In the 1990s, more and more researchers began to employ research methods from cognitive psychology. A contrastive analysis describes the structural differences and similarities of two or more languages. ... The 1950s was the decade spanning the years 1950 to 1959. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Noam Chomsky Avram Noam Chomsky (born December 7, 1928) is the Institute Professor Emeritus of linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. ... Universal grammar is a theory of linguistics postulating principles of grammar shared by all languages, thought to be innate to humans. ... See also 1990s, the band The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive, sometimes informally including popular culture from the very late 1980s and from 2000 and beyond. ... Cognitive Psychology is the school of psychology that examines internal mental processes such as problem solving, memory, and language. ...

One focus today shifts the domain of inquiry from the system of language itself - the classic object of SLA research - to the learner and their environment. The applied linguist Vivian Cook has, for example, introduced the term L2 user as distinct from L2 learner.^[1] The former are active users of the language; the latter those who learn for later use. Cook's view also severs a link to SLA, in that a user's language ability is seen not as an approximation towards native speakers' competence, but as a system in its own right.

Sociolinguistics and discourse analysis have played an increasingly important roles within the field, and sociocultural theory has emerged as a competitor to traditional cognitive psychological models of language acquisition. Further controversy over the connection between society, language & mind orients to whether applied linguistics should concern itself with the political ramifications of linguistics. One outcome of this debate has resulted in the formation of Critical Applied Linguistics, which is considered either a separate discipline or an offshoot of applied linguistics proper. Sociolinguistics is the study of the effect of any and all aspects of society, including cultural norms, expectations, and context, on the way language is used. ... Discourse analysis is a number of approaches to analysing language use above the sentence or clause level. ... Critical applied linguistics (CALx) is an emerging interdisciplinary approach to English applied linguistics. ...

The American Association for Applied Linguistics formed in the 1970s when it began holding separate conferences from the Linguistic Society of America. Britain and Canada have similar associations while the Association Internationale de Linguistique Appliquée serves a more international forum. The American Association for Applied Linguistics is an American organization, founded in 1977, of scholars interested in applied linguistics. ... The Linguistic Society of America (LSA) is an organization devoted to the scientific study of human language, and is the major professional society for linguistic researchers in North America and beyond. ...

Major journals include Studies in Second Language Acquisition, Modern Language Review, Language Learning, Applied Linguistics, AILA Journal, and the TESOL Quarterly.

Controversy

Applied Linguistics is significantly influenced by foreign affairs agencies of the United States and Great Britain. In fact, a significant number of Applied Linguistics professors in the United States also serve as agents [1] of the U.S. Information Agency or the US State Department. The United States Information Agency (USIA), which existed from 1953 to 1999, was a United States agency devoted to what it called public diplomacy. ... The United States Department of State, often referred to as the State Department, is the Cabinet-level foreign affairs agency of the United States government, equivalent to foreign ministries in other countries. ...

This is part of what the US State Department calls a "third party credibility" tactic for advancing foreign policy, whereby seemingly independent university professors promote US foreign policy through academic, religious and "professional" organizations such as TESOL with its 40+ affiliates throughout the world. Language education is the teaching and learning of a language or languages, usually as foreign languages. ...

Further reading

• Cook, V. (2001). Second Language Learning and Language Teaching. London: Hodder Arnold.
• Cook, V. (ed.) (2002). Portraits of the L2 User. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
• Lightbown, P. and Spada, N. (2006). How Languages are Learned. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2nd edition.
• Mitchell, R. and Myles, F. (2006). Second Language Learning Theories. London: Hodder Arnold. 2nd edition.
• Phillipson, R. (1992). Linguistic Imperialism. New York: OUP.

External links

• Second Language Acquisition Topics by Vivian Cook: information on applied linguistics, language teaching research and SLA, including a large bibliography.
• American Association for Applied Linguistics homepage
• Association Internationale de Linguistique Appliquée homepage
• Association Canadienne de Linguistique Appliquée / Canadian Association of Applied Linguistic homepage
• Center for Applied Linguistics homepage
• Applied Linguistics.org homepage
• British Association for Applied Linguistics homepage