Ministry Of Higher Education And Scientific Research

University Of Tikrit
College Of Education For Humanities
English Department

The Scope Of Applied Linguistics

A paper

Prepared by

Atheer I. Wahab

Submitted to

Asst. Prof. Dr. Hassan Shaban Ali

2021_2022
What is applied linguistics?

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 laboratory.

Davies, A. (2007:1-2) says that applied linguistics does not lend itself to an easy
definition, perhaps because, ‘it means many things to many people’. This absence of
certainty is much bemoaned by those who practice applied linguistics but the lack of
consensus can be found in other academic enterprises, especially those in the
humanities and social sciences, where fragmentation is rife, sometimes acting as an
escape from disagreement and entrenched epistemological disputes as to the nature
of the enterprise.

Applied linguistics has a further definitional problem because, if the nature of the
enterprise is disputed, what agreement can there be as to what it is that is being
applied? A mediation between theory and practice , a synthesis of research from a
variety of disciplines, including linguistics, ‘it presupposes linguistics … one cannot
apply what one does not know. It is ‘understood as an open field, in which those
inhabiting or passing through simply show a common commitment to the potential
value of dialogue with people who are different.

Guy Cook defines applied linguistics as ‘the academic discipline concerned with the
relation of knowledge about language to decision making in the real world’ (ibid:5).
He recognises that ‘the scope of applied linguistics remains rather vague’ but
attempts to delimit its main areas of concern as consisting of language and education;
language, work and law; and language information and effect (ibid 7/8).
Delimitations of this kind are helpful, even if they remain contestable. What is
important is that applied linguistics is protected from the sneer that because language
is everywhere, applied linguistics is the science of everything.

Linguistics Applied & Applied linguistics

Davies, A. & Elder, C. (2004:9), say that We have distinguished between two
traditions, that of applied linguistics and that of applications of linguistics.
Widdowson presents the question in terms of linguistics applied and applied
linguistics: The differences between these modes of intervention is that in the case
of linguistics applied the assumption is that the problem can be reformulated by the
direct and unilateral application of concepts and terms deriving from linguistic
enquiry itself. That is to say, language problems are amenable to linguistics
solutions. In the case of applied linguistics, intervention is crucially a matter of
mediation . . . applied linguistics . . . has to relate and reconcile different
representations of reality, including that of linguistics without excluding others.

➢ The “linguistics applied” view seems to derive from the coming together
of two traditions:
1. the European philological tradition which was exported to the USA through
scholars such as Roman Jakobson,
2. the North American tradition of linguistic-anthropological field-work which
required the intensive use of non-literate informants and the linguistic
description of indigenous languages for the purposes of cultural analysis.

Here, a picture from academia, showing the differences between them in a clear
way:
What is the role of applied linguistics?

Davies, A. & Elder, C.(2004: 1-2) states that applied linguistics is often said
to be concerned with solving or at least ameliorating social problems involving
language. The problems applied linguistics concerns itself with are likely to be: How
can we teach languages better? How can we diagnose speech pathologies better?
How can we improve the training of translators and interpreters? How can we write
a valid language examination? How can we evaluate a school bilingual program?
How can we determine the literacy levels of a whole population? How can we
helpfully discuss the language of a text? What advice can we offer a Ministry of
Education on a proposal to introduce a new medium of instruction? How can we
compare the acquisition of a European and an Asian language? What advice should
we give a defense lawyer on the authenticity of a police transcript of an interview
with a suspect?

Applied linguistics established itself in part as a response to the narrowing of focus

in linguistics with the advent in the late 1950s of generative linguistics, and has
always maintained a socially accountable role, demonstrated by its central interest
in language problems.

The scope of applied linguistics

According to crystal, D. (1981:1) applied linguistics has a range of sections which

includes, in addition to foreign language teaching and learning, which is the most
prominent one, there are: mother tongue teaching and learning, multilingualism,
testing, language planning, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, speech pathology,
lexicography, translation, contrastive linguistics, computational linguistics, writing
systems, and several other areas.

Cook, G. (2003:7_8) states that since language is implicated in so much of our daily
lives, there is clearly a large and open-ended number of quite disparate activities to
which applied linguistics is relevant. So even with these examples, the scope of
applied linguistics remains rather vague. To get at a more precise definition of the
field we need to not just to give examples but to classify the kinds of problem we
are concerned with in a systematic way, ,and so map out the scope of our area. In
other words, we need to refer specific instances to more general conceptual areas of
study. These areas can be identified under three headings , language and education
,Language, work, and law and Language, information, and effect .

Rafat, M. and according Coder 1974 definition of applied linguistics, states that the
scopes of applied linguistics will be as follows:

1. Language and Teaching

This scope covers methods of language teaching. In doing teaching
learning activity, linguistic is applied on those methods.
• Grammar Translation Method (GTM): Classes are conducted in the
mother tongue. This method depends on memorization of lists of new
vocabulary in isolation (i.e. no context provided). Great attention is paid to
grammatical rules.

• The Series Method: Ls are exposed to a series of connected sentences (in FL)
that are easy to understand.
• The Direct Method: It depends on the oral interaction using the FL inside
the classroom. It is based on the belief that language should be learned the
way we learned our mother tongue.

• The Audio-lingual Method (ALM): It is based on the idea of overlearning

and repetition. New material is presented in a form of dialogues, broken into
pieces.

• Cognitive Code Learning Method (CCL): It is a more student-oriented

method as it focuses on his/her mentality and the complicated processes that
take place as learning progresses.

• The Designer Methods:

a) Community Language Learning (CLL): It focuses on establishing
interpersonal relationships between Ls in order to make the classroom
a family-like environment
b) Suggestopedia: It is based on the idea that the human mind can learn
anything if a suitable atmosphere (e.g.: music, visuals, imagination,
meditation, relaxation ...) is provided.
 c) The Silent Way: It focuses on the learner s independence. Ls should
struggle to learn. Visuals are very much used to compensate for the
teacher s silence.
d) The Total Physical Response (TPR): It is based in actions in learning
new language.
e) The Natural Approach: It focuses on how humans learn their first
language unintentionally. Simple and comprehensible content is
provided, getting harder as Ls goon the learning process.
f) Community Language Teaching (CLT): It focuses on helping Ls to
communicate in FL by improving their communicative competence. It
also pays attention to fluency, not always accuracy.

2. Language and Society

This branch is also called sociolinguistics. It studies the relationship between the
society and language. It answers questions like how society affects the language,
what are the varieties of a language, what is the relationship between language and
gender, what are some examples of terms of taboo and euphemism and why they
should be used, what are the social factors of language shift, why people resort to
code switching, how languages die and how they are revived.
3. language and education
This area includes:
• first-language education, when a child studies their home language or
languages.( Cook, G. 2003:7).
Rafat M. states that in this section, linguists try to answer the question: how
infants learn/ acquire their mother tongue. Parents do not teach their children
to speak. They correct their falsehoods when they misbehave rather than
correcting their language mistakes. First-language acquisition is innate,
meaning that we are born with a set of language rules which Chomsky refers
to as the Universal Grammar. These rules, Chomsky, who belongs to the
Mentalists School, argues that these rules enable children to make new
utterances of their own, i.e. they produce new language not only copy or
repeat what they hear. Chomsky calls this idea Language Acquisition Device.
When a child studies their home " . language or languages.

• additional-language education, often divided into second-language

education, when someone studies their society's majority or official language
which is not their home language, and foreign- language education, when
someone studies the language of another country.

• clinical linguistics: Crystal defines clinical linguistics as the

application of the linguistic sciences to the study of language disability in all
its forms (Crystal, 2001:673).
 cook says, it is the study and treatment of speech and communication
impairments, whether hereditary, developmental, or acquired (through injury,
stroke, illness, or age). ( Cook, G. 2003:7).

• language testing: the assessment and evaluation of language , achievement

and proficiency, both in first and additional languages, and for both general
and specific purposes. ( Cook, G. 2003:7).
Rafat says, it is the practice and study of evaluating the proficiency of
an individual in using a particular language effectively. She also adds that the
purpose of a language test is to determine a person’s knowledge and/or ability
in the language and to discriminate that person’s ability from that of others.
Furthermore, she says that this branch is also called “language assessment”.
This assessment may test listening reading, speaking and writing. The test
pays attention to both knowledge, which is the theoretical understanding of a
language and proficiency, which is the practical use of a language.

4. Language, work, and law

This area includes:
• workplace communication: the study of how language is used
in the workplace, and how it contributes to the nature and power
relations of different types of work. ( Cook, G. 2003:8).

It answers the questions what are the different techniques of

communication in the work place, what should be said in what
situations at what time...etc. Communication in the workplace is one
 of the signs of a high-performance culture. Exchanging information
and ideas within an organization is called workplace communication.
However, effective communication occurs when a message is sent and
received accurately. In every aspect of life (both professional and
personal), effective communication is important to success and
happiness. Effective communication in the workplace is central to all
business goals. Why is communication so important in the workplace?

It avoids confusion.

It provides purpose.

It builds a positive company culture.

It creates accountability.

• language planning: Language planning is bases on some principles.

First of all, it is a multidimensional activity, that is to say, it should
include all the communities and faculties that participate in the
language planning process. Second, the idea that a nation has one
language only is a myth. Third, the process of language planning
should not be the responsibility of the education sector alone. Fourth,
in order that this process is to be successful, there should be continuous
revision, evaluation and implementation.
It is the making of decisions, often supported by legislation, about the
official status of languages and their institutional use, including their
use in education. ( Cook, G. 2003:8).
 • forensic linguistics: the deployment of linguistic evidence in
criminal and other legal investigations, for example, to establish the
authorship of a document, or a profile of a speaker from a tape-
recording. ( Cook, G. 20037: ibd).

5. Language, information, and effect

This area includes:
• literary stylistics: the study of the relationship between
linguistic choices and effects in literature. ( Cook, G. 2003: ibd).

It studies the different styles of authors. For example, one can feel the
sarcastic style of the Egyptian writer Belal Fadl by only reading the
title or one or two lines. We also have our own styles while speaking.
The Egyptians use idiomatic expressions all the time while they speak.
Nearly half of our speech is not literal.

• Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA): the study of the

relationship between linguistic choices and effects in persuasive uses
of language, of how these indoctrinate or manipulate (for example, in
marketing and politics), the counteracting of this through analysis.
• Translation and interpretation: the formulation of principles
underlying the perceived equivalence between a stretch of language
and its translation, and the practices of translating written text and
interpreting spoken language.

• Information design: the arrangement and presentation of

written language, including issues relating to typography and layout,
 choices of medium, and effective combinations of language with other
means of communication such as pictures and diagrams.

• lexicography: the planning and compiling of both monolingual

and bilingual dictionaries, and other language reference works such as
thesauri. ( Cook, G. 2003:7).

All of these areas fall within our definition of applied linguistics and are claimed as
areas of enquiry by organizations and journals concerned with the discipline. Yet in
practice some of them are more independent than others. Clinical linguistics and
translation studies in particular are often regarded as disciplines. Among the others
some—such as the study of foreign language learning—are more active as areas of
academic enquiry

than others. It will not be possible in this short to cover all of these areas in detail.
 • Grammar translation
method

1. Language and • The series method

teaching • The direct method
• The Audio-lingual
method
• Cognitive code
a. Community language
learning method
learning.
• The designer b. Suggestopidia.
methods. c. The silent way.
d. The total physical
response.
e. The natural approach
f. Community language
teaching
2. Language and society

• First language education.

• Additional-language education.
 • Clinical linguistics

• Language testing

3. Language and
The scope of
education
applied linguistics

• Workplace

4.Language , work, communication.

and law. • Language planning.
• Forensic linguistics.

• Literacy stylistics
• Critical Discourse analysis
• Translation and
interpretation
• Information design
5. Language • Lexicography
information

Reference
• Allen J.P.B and Corder .P.S.(1978). The Edinburgh course in Applied
linguistics. new York: Oxford university press.
• David. A and Elder. C. (2007). The Hand book of Applied linguistics. UK:
library of congress cataloging in publication data.
• Ra’fat, M. (n.d.). Applied Linguistics 1 The Scope of Applied Linguistics.
Retrieved from http://www.scribd.com/doc/58883443/Applied-Linguistics-
1-the-Scope-of-Applied-Linguistics
• Cook, G. (2003). Applied linguistics. USA: Oxford university press.
• Schmitt, N. & Rodgers, M. (Ed.). (2020). An Introduction to Applied
Linguistics (3rd ed.). New York: Routledge.