The Scope of Applied Linguistics
姓名：张琦 年级：14级英语语言文学 学号Abstract: the aim of the paper is to discuss some important aspects of applied linguistics, including its scope, relationship with linguistics, cultural studies, etc. The term "applied linguistics5' was firstly proposed by Polish linguist Baudouin de Courtenay. He thought the object of applied linguistics research is to apply theoretical linguistic knowledge to solve problems of other disciplines. However, there are still no exact answers to such problems as the scope, definition, characteristics of applied linguistics. The paper makes a comparison between Gertraud Benke，s dissertation Applied linguistics?ci science of culture? and Guy Cookes book Applied Lin^uistics. finds their commons, introduces some important conceptions, etc. Such methodologies as ontology, epistemology will be taken. The result of the paper shows that applied linguistics is interdisciplinary, which can extend its scope to many other fields, including linguistics and cultural studies. The necessity of discussion of important concepts of applied linguistics is: has knowledge of basic concepts of a discipline is the presupposition of learning it; moreover, understanding scope and definition of applied linguistics can be useful for further research.
Key words: applied linguistics; general linguistics; concepts; scope; cultural studies
1. Introduction
Applied linguistics is a developing science? In 1975, a national conference about applied linguistics took place in Stuttgart, to specially discuss the definition of applied linguistics. However, experts did not reach an agreement on the quality, characteristics, objects and scope of applied linguistics. (Gui Shichun: 9) Applied linguistics is a multi-disciplinary science, it is difficult to give exact answers to these problems? Hence, one may ask, what is the scope of applied linguistics, does applied linguistics has some kind of relationship with other discipline, etc?
In Gertraud Benke's dissertation "applied linguistics-a science of culture”, he discussed applied linguistics in details, from the scope of it, to its relationship with cultural studies?
The first half of the dissertation mainly explores whether applied linguistics is a discipline. The author thought that applied linguistics includes many fields related to "general linguistics", and then explain the reason of it; and then discussed the relationship between general linguistics and applied linguistics from aspects like instruments, foundations, models, methodologies, the influence applied linguistics has on language system; later, the author put forward his own definition of applied linguistics, introduced status quo of linguistics and applied linguistics researches: either ignore social fields, or linguistic methodology and consequences, which loses the scope of these researches; also talked about the relationship between discourse studies and applied linguistics; finally, made a conclusion that the scope of applied linguistics is not discernable?
The second half of the dissertation mainly talks about the relationship between applied linguistics and cultural studies. Benke firstly explained cultural studies and applied linguistics; then talked about the relationship between them; later presented two examples to talk about contribution of applied linguistics to cultural studies, the first example showed the change of “neutrality" in Austrian public discourse from 1995?1994; the second study is a study on gender differences in group-work in Austrian high school physics classes; finally, Benke combined applied linguistics, cultural studies with other fields, which makes applied linguistics and cultural studies with rich meaning?
This essay will have a brief introduction and discussion about some conceptions relate to applied linguistics in Benke's dissertation and Guy Cook's book, Applied Linguistics, and find the commons between them. Before a discussion about the scope of applied linguistics, a summary of the dissertation, as well as introductions to some concepts related to applied linguistics will be made; then the scope of applied linguistics, its relationship with general linguistics will be discussed; and its relationship with cultural science?
2. The scope of applied linguistics
What is applied linguistics, what the exactly definition of it? There are no clear answers to them. Benke thought applied linguistics includes the fields of psycholinguistics, first and second language acquisition, text comprehension.. .these heterogeneous topics operate on different levels...social areas of application...methods of analysis...theoretized linguistic objects. (Benke: 40) Benke's definition of applied linguistics is similar to Guy Cook's definition of it: the academic discipline concerned with relation of knowledge about language to decision making in the real world. (Cook:5)
What the scope of applied linguistics is and why fields of applied linguistics are related to linguistics.
Firstly is the scope of applied linguistics. According to Benke (2003), due to his experience in Vienna as an applied linguist, he has found that research fields of applied linguistics were always in investigating language use. Hence, research projects of applied linguistics are usually not restricted to discursive configuration of enactment, re-enactment and creation of social configurations within particular social systems. Applied linguistics has evolved from individual aspects (psychological or neuro-biological models) to wider fields. In English speaking country, applied linguistics is often concerned with second language acquisition (SLA). According to Guy Cook (2012), there are many fields of applied linguistics, such as language and education (including first-language education, additional-language education, clinical linguistics...), language, work, and law (including workplace communication, language planning, forensic linguistic), language, information, and effect (literary stylistics, Critical Discourse Analysis, translation and interpretation, information design, lexicography). (Cook: 8) From the comparison of scopes of applied linguistics between Gertraud Benke and Guy Cook, we find that all those scopes related to many other disciplines, as well as to language research. Hence, a conclusion can be drawn: applied linguistics is a multidisciplinary science. And it is a science concern about linguistcs related problems.
Then a question arises: why many fields of applied linguistics are related to language.
According Guy Cook, applied linguistics sets out to investigate problems in the world in which language is implicated-both educational and social problems, and it concerns with the relation of knowledge about language to decision making in the real world?(Cook: 5) From Cook's definition of applied linguistics, one can find the goal of applied linguistics is to have researches on language related problems, as a result, it is normal to extend applied linguistics to other fields, which are relevant to social and educational problems? And this is exactly what Gertraud Benke has talked about in his dissertation Applied linguistic-a science of culture! In his dissertation, Benke said: thus it is not surprising that driving theoretical frameworks and contributions to (a certain framework of) “applied linguistics^^ come from people with institutional affiliations outside of linguistics-such as (micro-) sociology (Schegloff 1991, Sacks 1995, Gumperz 1982), linguistic anthropology (Ochs, Gonzales, Jacoby, 1993), psychology (Mckoon, Ratcliff, 1992, Crawford 1995). (Benke: 41) And the various fields of applied linguistics all transcend the boundaries of one clearly defined discipline.
Moreover, the lack of such resources as money, grants, professorships, assistantships make many scholars affiliate their fields of applied linguistics to one of the established discipline. Thus, one has only two options to get a share of the cake to do these kinds of “new research" outside the established traditions: either one has to affiliate oneself to one of the established traditions, or one has to establish the field as a new discipline…(Gertraud Benke: 42) Hence, applied linguistics has to affiliate to other disciplines?
3? Relationship between applied linguistics and linguistics
Having talked about the scope of applied linguistics, and the reasons why fields of applied linguistics are always related to linguistics, there will be another problem: what is the relationship between applied linguistics and linguistics?
One common theme of linguistics is the interest in language, its function, its design, its enactment. (Benke: 42) Linguistics is interested in researches related to language, according to Guy Cook (2012), "linguistics-the academic discipline concerned with the study of language in general". Their understanding of linguistics is almost the same-a discipline concerned with language related problems in general.
However, applied linguistics is different. As applied linguistics involves many other fields like sociolinguistics, clinical linguistics, Guy Cook thought that applied linguistics is concerned with reality of experience rather than general linguistics (which is interested in generalities underlying actual appearances, and abstract realization of language), which is same as Benke's thought that applied linguists are interested in the structural aspects of language and its social signification, e.g. General linguistics constructs the language system, applied linguistics deconstructs the stability of this system and demonstrates its fragility and fleeting nature?(Benke: 43)
In other words, linguistics form a system on which applied linguistics has research? Applied linguistics makes use of methodology of formal linguistics, and share the task of “what language is" and “how language works". Applied linguistics is in need of its own theories and its own meta-theory, which models how applied linguistics approaches these questions. (Benke: 45) Benke's thought is similar to Guy Cook's thought in this aspect.
Hence, another question arises: what is methodology of applied linguistics? Does this methodology have a relation with linguistics? Both Benke and Guy Cook did not introduce clearly the methodology of applied linguistics. However, Benke thought applied linguistics should have its own theory and methodology? Methodology of applied linguistics should firstly reflect findings and theories of linguistics. (Cook: 10) Through this point, one can clear find, applied linguistic is not independent of linguistics, just like Benke's thought I have already described above, the former deconstructs the latter. As a result of it, the methodology of applied linguistics should apply theories and findings of linguistics; moreover, due to the fact that applied linguistics involves in many other fields, therefore, it also need many other theories from other fields; and it should undertake investigation and theorizing of its own.
4. Relationship between applied linguistics and cultural studies
Does applied linguistics has some relationship with other discipline, for example, the cultural studies? In the latter half of Benke's dissertation, he describes the relationship between culture and applied linguistics. Having talked about the scope of applied linguistics and its relationship with linguistics, then, another question arises: does applied linguistics have some kind of relationship with cultural science? If it does, can the scope of applied linguistics extend?
Actually, according to Gertraud Benke (2003), applied linguistics has some kind of relationship with cultural studies. Both applied linguistics and cultural studies are concerned about social problems, modernity, conditions of the day. And the difference lies in disciplinary origin. Cultural research tries to make a distinction between individuals and society. In contrast, applied linguistics tends to have a research on symbol use, understanding and production, and is the empirical bottom-up framework of general linguistics. Cultural studies on the other hand, relates back to more hermeneutic traditions? Thus, applied linguistics is the empirical other side of cultural studies?(Benke: 48) Applied linguistics itself, is in many ways an inherently cross-cultural phenomen on. (Cook: 53)
Therefore, from this point, one can find that both of them have same idea in the relationship between culture and applied linguistics. Applied linguistics constructs cultural studies in concrete situation, and cultural studies exposes and makes clear problems of applied linguistics. The two disciplines are greatly related with each other.
Then Benke use two examples to show how applied linguistics influence culture. In fact, the use of these two examples can correspond to Cook's (2012) idea that applied linguistics can raise awareness of the degree to which the meaning of behavior is culturally relative. Hence, the relationship between like that between linguistics and applied linguistics: one constructs a system, the other deconstructs the system.
Benke used two examples to discuss their relationship. The first example shows the changes of the meaning of “neutrality" in Austrain public discourse. In previous times, neutrality was taken as a symbol of a mediating role of a country; soon, it becomes a symbol which shows "a country is forced to do something because of it”； then becomes a symbol shows "neutrality gave us important tasks"; then "neutrality is helpful to us”, etc. The process shows the change of meaning of neutrality, which is a phenomenon of applied linguistics. The changes of the meaning can reflect historical, political, discursive and cultural context of changes? In other words, the changes show the cultural background of that time.
Hence, applied linguistics can contribute to the understanding of Austrian culture and national identity? A conclusion can be drawn: applied linguistics theorizes culture, and cultural science unpacking cultural texts using linguistic methods?(Benke:48) The scope of applied linguistics can extend to cultural studies? The second example was conducted to investigate girls5 and boys' behavior in physics classes in groups, and there will not be more discussion here.
5. Conclusion
Through the analysis of Gertraud Benke's dissertation and Guy Cook's book, one can find the scope of applied linguistics is very wide, and it is closely related with other disciplines, including linguistics and cultural studies. There will more fields for applied linguistics, and the scope of applied linguistics can also extend. The research of applied linguistics will have broader space in the further future? There will neither be a concrete definition of applied linguistics, nor can one give an exact explanation to the scope of applied linguistics. The thing one can bear in mind is: applied linguistics sets out to investigate problems in the world in which language is implicated一both educational and social problems like those in listed above?(Guy Cook: 5)
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