THE NATURE OF RESEARCH

Lecture 1
WHAT IS APPLIED LINGUISTICS?
• Applied Linguistics is concerned with practical issues involving
language in the life of the community. The most important of these
is the learning of second or foreign languages. Others include
language policy, multilingualism, language education, the
preservation and revival of endangered languages, and the
assessment and treatment of language difficulties. Other areas of
interest include professional communication, for example, between
doctors and their patients, between lawyers and their clients and in
courtrooms, as well as other areas of institutional and
cross-cultural communication ranging from the boardroom to the
routines on an answer-phone.
• (http://www.linguistics.unimelb.edu.au/about/about.html)
WHY IS RESEARCH IMPORTANT?
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
• “What” questions:
• What phenomena are of importance?
• In what context do these phenomena occur?
• What important relationships exist between phenomena?

• “Why” questions (Causation):

• Why do these phenomena occur?
• Why do people differ on certain traits?
IDENTIFYING IMPORTANT QUESTIONS
• Observe practical problems
• Refer to secondary sources
• Refer to primary research (discussion/conclusion – limitations /
suggestions for further research)
TASK
• 1. Identify a question you have in the area of teaching or learning a language
based on:
• a. your own experience.
• b. your reading of a secondary source.
• c. the discussion section of a research article.

• 2. Why do you think these questions are important for others besides yourself?