The Definitions and The Scopes of Applied Linguistics

        Applied Linguistics is a subject of the study languages for practical uses. There are some definitions and scopes of applied linguistics as bellow:

1.      Definitions:

a.       “Applied linguistics is an area of work that deals with language use in professional settings, translation, speech pathology, literacy, and language education; and it is not merely the application of linguistic knowledge to such settings but is a semiautonomous and interdisciplinary . . . domain of work that draws on but is not dependent on areas such as sociology, education, anthropology, cultural studies, and psychology."
(Alastair Pennycook, Critical Applied Linguistics: A Critical Introduction. Routledge, 2001) Retrieved from: http://grammar.about.com/od/ab/g/appliedlinguisticsterm.htm By Richard Nordquist

b.      Applied Linguistics [is now] a cover term for a sizeable group of semi-autonomous disciplines, each dividing its parentage and allegiances between the formal study of language and other relevant fields, and each working to develop its own methodologies and principles. (Spolsky 2005: 36)

(Davies, Alan. 2007. An Introduction to Applied Linguistics Second Edition. Edinburgh University Press Ltd 22 George Square, Edinburgh)

c.       "The academic discipline concerned with the relation of knowledge about language to decision making in that real world". (Guy cook) retrieved from:  http://www.preservearticles.com/2012051932687/applied-linguistics-history-and-definition.html

d.      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 recognizes 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).

(Davies, Alan. 2007. An Introduction to Applied Linguistics Second Edition. Edinburgh University Press Ltd 22 George Square, Edinburgh)

e.       Applied linguistics is a discipline which explores the relations between theory and practice in language with particular reference to issues of language use. It embraces contexts in which people use and learn languages and is a platform for systematically addressing problems involving the use of language and communication in real-world situations. Applied linguistics draws on a range of disciplines, including linguistics. In consequence, applied linguistics has applications in several areas of language study, including language learning and teaching, the psychology of language processing, discourse analysis, stylistics, corpus analysis, literacy studies and language planning and policies.

Dawn Knight.2009.What is Applied Linguistic. Retrieved from http://www.scribd.com/doc/16212220/What-is-Applied-Linguistics

2.      The scopes of applied linguistics:

a.      Language and Teaching

This scope covers methods of language teaching. In doing teaching learning activity, linguistic is applied on those methods.

b.      Language and Society

The branch in this scope is called sociolinguistics. Sociolinguistic studies about the relationship between the society and language, and explore/solve the problem related to society that affects the language, varieties of language in society, terms of taboos and euphimism, etc.

c.       Language Education/Learning

This scope tries to explain about the first language education, additional language education such as second language education and foreign language education. It also help us to know about clinical linguistic and language testing. Clinical linguistic is the study about language disability.

d.      Language, Work and Law

The scope of Language, Work and Law explain about communication in the workplace, language planning, and forensic linguistic.

e.       Language, Information and Effect

It studies the literary stylistics, critical discourse analysis, translation and interpretation, information design, and lexicography.

Mai Mustafa Fouad Ra’fat Ali.(n.d).Applied Linguistic. Retrieved from http://www.scribd.com/doc/58883443/Applied-Linguistics-1-the-Scope-of-Applied-Linguistics