Lakhasly

The role and relationship of the field of linguistics within applied linguistics has been variously interpreted in large part due to the ambiguity of the term applied linguistics. What is applied? Is it only linguistics? What is it applied to? Who is (not) an applied linguist? Is a degree in linguistics assumed? Or is it enough to be working with language-related issues? We should perhaps first clarify that general linguistics is different from ‘applied linguistics’. Hall, Smith and Wicaksono (2011: 41-42) say that General linguistics describes and theorizes about language and languages, and is an umbrella term for a number of sub-disciplines. General linguistics analyses the sound systems, grammars, vocabularies and discourseorganizing principles and practices of different languages, classifying various features, and identifying universal patterns as well as distinctive localized phenomena (this is the province of mainstream descriptive or theoretical linguistics). General linguistics also explores how these systems vary in time and space and context of use, and tries to describe and explain their acquisition and cognitive functioning. Moreover, Hall, Smith and Wicaksono (2011: 32) say that Sociolinguistic research explores variation, by collecting and analyzing data from different groups of users and in different situations, including bi- and multilinguals. Psycholinguistic experiments try to tap into mind-internal processes of learning, memory and use of one or more languages. General linguists use a range of methods, including speakers’ intuitions, language data collected from informants, non-linguistic data which correlates with language use (e.g. brain scans or translation times) and the analysis of massive computerized samples of language expression in writing and speech (corpus linguistics).

The role and relationship of the field of linguistics within applied linguistics has been variously interpreted in large part due to the ambiguity of the term applied linguistics. What is applied? Is it only linguistics? What is it applied to? Who is (not) an applied linguist? Is a degree in linguistics assumed? Or is it enough to be working with language-related issues? We should perhaps first clarify that general linguistics is different from ‘applied linguistics’. Hall, Smith and Wicaksono (2011: 41-42) say that General linguistics describes and theorizes about language and languages, and is an umbrella term for a number of sub-disciplines. General linguistics analyses the sound systems, grammars, vocabularies and discourseorganizing principles and practices of different languages, classifying various features, and identifying universal patterns as well as distinctive localized phenomena (this is the province of mainstream descriptive or theoretical linguistics). General linguistics also explores how these systems vary in time and space and context of use, and tries to describe and explain their acquisition and cognitive functioning. Moreover, Hall, Smith and Wicaksono (2011: 32) say that Sociolinguistic research explores variation, by collecting and analyzing data from different groups of users and in different situations, including bi- and multilinguals. Psycholinguistic experiments try to tap into mind-internal processes of learning, memory and use of one or more languages. General linguists use a range of methods, including speakers’ intuitions, language data collected from informants, non-linguistic data which correlates with language use (e.g. brain scans or translation times) and the analysis of massive computerized samples of language expression in writing and speech (corpus linguistics).