An Overview of Applied
Linguistics
Edited by: Norbert Schmitt
Abeer Alharbi
What is Linguistics?
•
It’s goal is
It is a scientific study
of a language
To describe the varieties of languages and
explain the unconscious knowledge all
What is Linguistics?
It is the science of language, including phonetics, phonology, morphology,
syntax, and semantics Linguistics- The study of language in
general or of some particular language or languages.
It is the study of the structure,
development changes, etc, of a particular language and its relationship to other
Linguistics is subdivided into:?
Applied
What is Applied Linguistics
Applied Linguistics” is using what we
know about (a)
language
, (b)
how it is
learned
and (C)
how it is used
, in
order to achieve some purpose or
solve some problem in the real life.
What is Applied Linguistics?
It is a field of study that
identifies, investigates, and offers
solutions to language related
problems.
Applied linguistics describes
the language and teaches how
it is learned and used.
It can be applied to all aspects of
language use. It deals with mother,
foreign, and second language
acquisition.
What is Applied Linguistics?
•
Wilkins’ definition (1999):
“In a board sense, applied linguistics is
concerned with increasing understanding of
the role of language in human affairs and
thereby with providing the knowledge
necessary for those who are responsible for
taking language-related decisions whether
the need for these arises in the classroom,
the workplace, the law court, or the
Applied Linguistics extends into such
practical application fields like:
•
Discourse analysis
•
Assessment & Evaluation.
•
Bilingualism.
•
Language and Ideology.
•
Language and Learner characteristics.
•
Language and Technology (Computational linguistics).
•
Language cognition and brain research(psycholinguistics).
•
Language, culture, and pragmatics
Topic areas in Applied Linguistics?
•
Second and foreign language pedagogy.
•
Second language acquisition
•
Sociolinguistics.
•
Text Analyses (Written Discourse).
•
Translation and Interpretation.
•
Corpus Linguistics.
The Development of Applied Linguistics?
1- Early history ( Ancient Greek):
They design a curriculum beginning with a good writing
(Grammar).
2- the 2
ndhalf of the 18
thcentury:
There were many attempts and works began to occur about
language description. For Example:
- Samuel Johnson : “ Dictionary of the English Language”
How English words were actually used.
- Robert Lowth: “ Short Introduction to English Grammar”.
What correct grammar should be.
The Development of Applied Linguistics?
3- The late 18
thcentury:
Second languages were usually taught by the
“Grammar-translation method”
-
What do a lesson explained by Grammar-translation
method typically have?
Norbert Schmitt, P. 4
-
What were its disadvantages?
The Development of Applied Linguistics?
4- The beginning of 20
thcentury:
A new method appeared which is “Direct Method” .
-Describe this method?
Emphasized oral language.
It imitated how a mother tongue is learnt naturally.
Norbert Schmitt, P. 4
-What were its disadvantages?
The Development of Applied Linguistics?
5- In UK,
Michael West develop “Reading Method” .
-Describe this method?
It aimed at increasing learners’ exposure to the target language
through reading. It based on promoting reading through
vocabulary management
-
What is the meaning of vocabulary management?
Reducing the lexical load for readers. So, to improve learner’s
readability, we substituted low-frequency words (such as
acceleration) with more frequent items (such as fast).
Norbert Schmitt, P. 4
The Development of Applied Linguistics?
6- Behaviorists developed structural linguistics which is
called “ Audiolingualism”
-It derived from the Direct method.
-It included activities which were believed to reinforce
‘good’ language habits, such as close attention to
pronunciation, intensive oral drills, and memorization
- It is also called “Army methods” Why?
The Development of Applied Linguistics?
7- Chomsky (1959) attacked the “audiolingualism”
-Chomsky said the children are born with an understanding of the way languages work “Universal Grammar”
8- In 1972, Hymes added the concept of “ communicative competence”
-It focued on (appropriacy) how suitable any use of language was for a particular context rather than (correctness).
What does CC mean?
Language competence consists of more than just being able to ‘form grammatically correct sentences but also to know when and where to use these sentences and to whom’
The Development of Applied Linguistics?
9- Halliday (1973) introduced systemic-functional grammar
In this approach, the language was seen not as something exclusively internal to a learner, but rather as a means of functioning in society.
Norbert Schmitt, P. 5
10- Krashen’s ‘Monitor theory’ (1982);
Krashen focused his attention on the role of input.
Monitor theory indicated that a language was mainly unconsciously acquired through exposure to ‘comprehensible input’ rather than being learnt through explicit exercises,
’
The Development of Applied Linguistics?
11- The development of language assessment
Tests were evaluated according to three principles criteria:
-Validity: did the test really measure what it was supposed to measure. - reliability: reliability of a test refers to stability of measurement
over time.
- Practicality: was the test practical to give and mark in a practical setting?
12- Computer-assisted language learning CALL:
Language learners could work on individual computers truly at their own pace.
