Name : Rezqa Gusrizal

NIM : 16178068

“Applied linguistics”

Introduction: Applied Linguistics and Language Teaching in the Twenty-first Century

Applied linguistics is implication from linguistics. Pit Corder as founding the father of
British applied linguistic states applied linguistic as thereotical and empirical investigations
of real-world promblems in language. Then, it becomes a central issue of languages in real-
life cases. Moreover, the International Association of Applied Linguistics (AILA) (2009)
declares 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.

The issues emerge begin from multilingualism, billingualism, language acquisition

and also language teaching. The assumsion of people all the issues can be solved by applied
linguits. But, some linguists believe the problem solving of issues in applied linguistics have
included devising orthographies for languages that have no written form and inventing
simplified languages. So, there are three implications raise from the issues. They are the
applied linguist is a Jack of all trades, the applied linguist is a go-between, not an enforcer, a
servant, not a master, and sheer description of any area of language is not applied linguistics
as such but descriptive linguistics.

In other hand applied linguistic have important role in language teaching. It assumes
applied linguitics distinguishes from many domains and sub-domains of psychology,
education, and language teaching. Even, over the years the applied linguistics of language
teaching has relationship between linguistics and psychology. It makes applied linguistic has
impact into teaching language. For example: In countries where teachers faced some students
come from that have many cultures. So, teachers do not use language as follower Western
individualistic views but teachers see how students cultural situations.

Furthermore, applied linguists have never solve problems in language teaching. The
case like, how does the child get the initial knowledge for acquiring the rest of language? So
the answer applied linguistics has concerned itself with the analysis and frequency of
vocabulary but has seldom described teachinf techniques through which new vocabulary can
be taught.
 So, language is at the core of human activitiy. Applied linguistics needs to take itself
as a central discipline in the languages sciences dealing with real problems. Then, applied
linguistics has the potential to make a differences.
 Applied Linguistics and Language Learning/Teaching

Some of linguists and applied linguists assume there is applied linguistics factors in
the teaching and learning language. There are two problems have find by applied linguists in
language education field. The first is age problem and the second an investigation into the
validity of a large-scale English language proficiency test, the English language testing
Service (ELTS) test, the predecessor of ILTS, the construct of design in test, English for
specific purposes.

AILA Statutes (1964) explains the areas of applied linguistics, for example language
learning, language teaching, language use and language planning. Moreover Wilkins (1994)
also states the field which has so far generated the greatest body of research and publication,
namely that of language learning and teaching. It can be seen applied linguistic has relation
with language learning/teaching.

While, language problems are the key to understanding applied linguistics. Many
fields apllied linguistics have intervention, like educational, social, psychological,
anthrophological, political, religious, economic, business, planning and policy aspect and etc.
But, in education field people should considered of two problems, how the optimum age for
starting to learn a foreign language and the validation of a language profieciency tests. It
believes has problems that linguists faced in language learning.

First, if someone asks what is the right age to start foreign language learning? The
questions can be answer by administrators, politicians, parents. There is no limitation how the
maximum someone learns foreign language learning. But, in the big city like USA, UK,
Australia their government has rules when the students start learn foreign language from
elementary school in USA, then UK from primary-school. In Australian secondary school,
they have some factors relevant with the optimum-age problems in second/foreign language.
They are the educational, the social and sociolinguistic, the psychological and psycho-
linguistic, the anthropological and cultural, the political, the religious, the economic, the
business aspect, the planning/policy aspect and the linguistic.

In other hand, the second aspect is the validation of langauge proficiency tests. It
includes four areas of improtance in language teaching, second-language acquisition,
proficiency language testing, the teaching of languages for specific purposes and curricullum
design. English Language Testing System (ELTS) test is a proficiency test used in an
educational setting. ELTS contained with four skills: reading, writing, listening, and
speaking. So, ELTS means as represent the indicate satisfactory proficiency of English
language.

There are four areas of applied linguistics that have very direct relevance to language
learning snd language teaching. The four areas are:

1. Second language acquisition research: what are the stages of second language
learning?
2. Language proficiency testing: what are the markers of succesful language
learning?
3. Teaching of LSP: what does the learner need to know?
4. Curriculum design: what does the teacher need to know?

In all four of these areas in which applied linguistic has particular relevance to
language teaching and language learning. The evidence from linguistics, the applied linguist
is equally interested in the learning and the context. So, it is second language acquisition in
context, language proficiency testing in context, teaching of language varieties in context,
curriculum design in context.