The term 'applied linguistics' refers to a broad range of activities which involve solving some languagerelated problem or addressing some language-related concern. And The Educational Linguistics strand encompasses a wide range of topics related to language (in) education, generally with a focus on and/or implications for practice and/or policy. The unifying element is attention to education, whether formal or informal, rather than any particular theoretical or methodological perspective.
APPLIED LINGUISTICS:
- Vivian Cook : Applied linguistics means many things to many people (2006, 56).
- Spolsky : ....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 priciples (2005:36).
- Guy Cook : Applied linguistics as “the academic discipline concerned with the relation of knowledge about language to desicion making in the real world. The scope of applied linguistics remains rather vague’ but attempts to delimit its main ideas of concern as consisting on language and education; language, work and law; and language information and effect (2003:7-8).
- Corder : the target of applied linguistics: Language teaching, widely interpreted and therefore including for example: speech therapy, translation and language planning (1973)
- Brumfit : “A working definition of applied linguistics will then be the theoretical and empirical investigation of real-world problem in which language is a central issue (1977:93).
- Cumming : Encourage the submission of more manuscripts from (a) diverse disciplines, including applications of methods and theories from linguistics, psycholinguistics, cognitive science, ethnography, ethnomethodology, sociolinguistics, sosiology, semiotics, educational inquiry and cultural or historical studies, to address; (b) fundamental issues in language learning, such as multilingualism, language acquisition, second and foreign language education, literacy, culture, cognition, pragmatics and intergroup relation (1993:1-2).
EDUCATIONAL LINGUISTICS
Spolsky, (1999) and in university programs and courses. With the growing significance of language education as a result of decolonization and globalization, more and more educational systems are appreciating the need to train teachers and administrators in those aspects of linguistics that are relevant to education and in the various subfields that have grown up within educational linguistics itself.That linguistics is often relevant to education, the relation is seldom direct. Educational linguistics as a sub-field of linguistics, much like educational psychology and educational sociology are subfields of their disciplines proper, that would specifically address the broad range of issues related to language and education (1978:5)
Educational linguistics is an area of study that integrates the research tools of linguistics and other related disciplines of the social sciences in order to investigate holistically the broad range of issues related to language and education (Hornberger, 2001; Spolsky, 1978) in Spolsky, (2008:10)
The Similarities of Applied and Educational Linguistics :
1. Study of language2. Must be synthesized in a complementary manner with the approaches of other disciplines in order to comprehend fully any specific problem (viz. issue or theme) related to language and education.
The Differencies of Applied and Educational Linguistics :
Educational Linguistics:1. The holistic study of specific issues – that educational linguistics emerged as problem-oriented and interdisciplinary.
2. In educational linguistics, a researcher begins with a problem, issue or theme, related to language and education and then synthesizes the research tools in her/his intellectual repertoire to investigate or explore it.
3. Concerned with the study of all the factors that influence language use as it relates to education.
The objective of Educational Linguistics is advancing educational issues ranging from language acquisition to language planning.
Applied Linguistics:
1. ‘trans-disciplinary’ rather than ‘inter-’ or ‘multidisciplinary’
2. Relevant other fields and each working to develop its own methodologies and principles.
3. The theoretical and empirical investigation of real-world problem in which language is a central issue.
4. The process or activity of applied linguistics is carried out by taking the known research and theory of linguistics and applying a linguistic analysis to specific contexts outside linguistics proper (e.g., language teaching, interpreting and translating, or lexicography).
Applied Linguistics:
1. ‘trans-disciplinary’ rather than ‘inter-’ or ‘multidisciplinary’
2. Relevant other fields and each working to develop its own methodologies and principles.
3. The theoretical and empirical investigation of real-world problem in which language is a central issue.
4. The process or activity of applied linguistics is carried out by taking the known research and theory of linguistics and applying a linguistic analysis to specific contexts outside linguistics proper (e.g., language teaching, interpreting and translating, or lexicography).
References:
Cook, Guy. (2003). Applied linguistisc. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Cook, Vivian. (2006). ‘What is applied linguistics?’ in Vivian Cook: Obscure Writing.
Corder, S. Pit. (1973). Introducing applied linguistics. Harmondsworth: Penguin.
Cumming, Alister. (1993). ‘Editor’s Preface’, Language Learning, 43 (1):1-2.
Spolsky, Bernard (1978). Educational Linguistics: An Introduction. Rowley, MA: Newbury House.
Spolsky, Bernard (ed.) (1999). Concise Encyclopedia of Educational Linguistics. Amsterdam /New York: Elsevier.
Spolsky, Bernard. (2005). ‘Is language policy applied linguistics?’ in P. Bruthiaux, D. Atkinson, W. G.
Egginton. W. Grabe and V. Ramanathan (eds). Direction in applied linguistics, Clevedon Multilingual Matters.
Spolsky, Bernard. (2005). The handbook of educational linguistics. USA: Blackwell Publishing Ltd
