The scope of applied linguistics应用语言学范畴.docx

The scope of applied linguistics应用语言学范畴.docx

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Thescopeofappliedlinguistics应用语言学范畴

TheScopeofAppliedLinguistics

姓名：

张琦年级：

14级英语语言文学学号：

81420379

Abstract:

theaimofthepaperistodiscusssomeimportantaspectsofappliedlinguistics,includingitsscope,relationshipwithlinguistics,culturalstudies,etc.Theterm“appliedlinguistics”wasfirstlyproposedbyPolishlinguistBaudouindeCourtenay.Hethoughttheobjectofappliedlinguisticsresearchistoapplytheoreticallinguisticknowledgetosolveproblemsofotherdisciplines.However,therearestillnoexactanswerstosuchproblemsasthescope,definition,characteristicsofappliedlinguistics.ThepapermakesacomparisonbetweenGertraudBenke’sdissertationAppliedlinguistics-ascienceofculture?

andGuyCook’sbookAppliedLinguistics,findstheircommons,introducessomeimportantconceptions,etc.Suchmethodologiesasontology,epistemologywillbetaken.Theresultofthepapershowsthatappliedlinguisticsisinterdisciplinary,whichcanextenditsscopetomanyotherfields,includinglinguisticsandculturalstudies.Thenecessityofdiscussionofimportantconceptsofappliedlinguisticsis:

hasknowledgeofbasicconceptsofadisciplineisthepresuppositionoflearningit;moreover,understandingscopeanddefinitionofappliedlinguisticscanbeusefulforfurtherresearch.

Keywords:

appliedlinguistics;generallinguistics;concepts;scope;culturalstudies

1.Introduction

Appliedlinguisticsisadevelopingscience.In1975,anationalconferenceaboutappliedlinguisticstookplaceinStuttgart,tospeciallydiscussthedefinitionofappliedlinguistics.However,expertsdidnotreachanagreementonthequality,characteristics,objectsandscopeofappliedlinguistics.（GuiShichun:

9）Appliedlinguisticsisamulti-disciplinaryscience,itisdifficulttogiveexactanswerstotheseproblems.Hence,onemayask,whatisthescopeofappliedlinguistics,doesappliedlinguisticshassomekindofrelationshipwithotherdiscipline,etc?

InGertraudBenke’sdissertation“appliedlinguistics-ascienceofculture”,hediscussedappliedlinguisticsindetails,fromthescopeofit,toitsrelationshipwithculturalstudies.

Thefirsthalfofthedissertationmainlyexploreswhetherappliedlinguisticsisadiscipline.Theauthorthoughtthatappliedlinguisticsincludesmanyfieldsrelatedto“generallinguistics”,andthenexplainthereasonofit;andthendiscussedtherelationshipbetweengenerallinguisticsandappliedlinguisticsfromaspectslikeinstruments,foundations,models,methodologies,theinfluenceappliedlinguisticshasonlanguagesystem;later,theauthorputforwardhisowndefinitionofappliedlinguistics,introducedstatusquooflinguisticsandappliedlinguisticsresearches:

eitherignoresocialfields,orlinguisticmethodologyandconsequences,whichlosesthescopeoftheseresearches;alsotalkedabouttherelationshipbetweendiscoursestudiesandappliedlinguistics;finally,madeaconclusionthatthescopeofappliedlinguisticsisnotdiscernable.

Thesecondhalfofthedissertationmainlytalksabouttherelationshipbetweenappliedlinguisticsandculturalstudies.Benkefirstlyexplainedculturalstudiesandappliedlinguistics;thentalkedabouttherelationshipbetweenthem;laterpresentedtwoexamplestotalkaboutcontributionofappliedlinguisticstoculturalstudies,thefirstexampleshowedthechangeof“neutrality”inAustrianpublicdiscoursefrom1995-1994;thesecondstudyisastudyongenderdifferencesingroup-workinAustrianhighschoolphysicsclasses;finally,Benkecombinedappliedlinguistics,culturalstudieswithotherfields,whichmakesappliedlinguisticsandculturalstudieswithrichmeaning.

ThisessaywillhaveabriefintroductionanddiscussionaboutsomeconceptionsrelatetoappliedlinguisticsinBenke’sdissertationandGuyCook’sbook,AppliedLinguistics,andfindthecommonsbetweenthem.Beforeadiscussionaboutthescopeofappliedlinguistics,asummaryofthedissertation,aswellasintroductionstosomeconceptsrelatedtoappliedlinguisticswillbemade;thenthescopeofappliedlinguistics,itsrelationshipwithgenerallinguisticswillbediscussed;anditsrelationshipwithculturalscience.

2.Thescopeofappliedlinguistics

Whatisappliedlinguistics,whattheexactlydefinitionofit?

Therearenoclearanswerstothem.Benkethoughtappliedlinguisticsincludesthefieldsofpsycholinguistics,firstandsecondlanguageacquisition,textcomprehension…theseheterogeneoustopicsoperateondifferentlevels…socialareasofapplication…methodsofanalysis…theoretizedlinguisticobjects.（Benke:

40）Benke’sdefinitionofappliedlinguisticsissimilartoGuyCook’sdefinitionofit:

theacademicdisciplineconcernedwithrelationofknowledgeaboutlanguagetodecisionmakingintherealworld.（Cook:

5）

Whatthescopeofappliedlinguisticsisandwhyfieldsofappliedlinguisticsarerelatedtolinguistics.

Firstlyisthescopeofappliedlinguistics.AccordingtoBenke（2003）,duetohisexperienceinViennaasanappliedlinguist,hehasfoundthatresearchfieldsofappliedlinguisticswerealwaysininvestigatinglanguageuse.Hence,researchprojectsofappliedlinguisticsareusuallynotrestrictedtodiscursiveconfigurationofenactment,re-enactmentandcreationofsocialconfigurationswithinparticularsocialsystems.Appliedlinguisticshasevolvedfromindividualaspects（psychologicalorneuro-biologicalmodels）towiderfields.InEnglishspeakingcountry,appliedlinguisticsisoftenconcernedwithsecondlanguageacquisition（SLA）.AccordingtoGuyCook（2012）,therearemanyfieldsofappliedlinguistics,suchaslanguageandeducation（includingfirst-languageeducation,additional-languageeducation,clinicallinguistics…）,language,work,andlaw（includingworkplacecommunication,languageplanning,forensiclinguistic）,language,information,andeffect（literarystylistics,CriticalDiscourseAnalysis,translationandinterpretation,informationdesign,lexicography）.（Cook:

8）FromthecomparisonofscopesofappliedlinguisticsbetweenGertraudBenkeandGuyCook,wefindthatallthosescopesrelatedtomanyotherdisciplines,aswellastolanguageresearch.Hence,aconclusioncanbedrawn:

appliedlinguisticsisamultidisciplinaryscience.Anditisascienceconcernaboutlinguistcsrelatedproblems.

Thenaquestionarises:

whymanyfieldsofappliedlinguisticsarerelatedtolanguage.

AccordingGuyCook,appliedlinguisticssetsouttoinvestigateproblemsintheworldinwhichlanguageisimplicated-botheducationalandsocialproblems,anditconcernswiththerelationofknowledgeaboutlanguagetodecisionmakingintherealworld.（Cook:

5）FromCook’sdefinitionofappliedlinguistics,onecanfindthegoalofappliedlinguisticsistohaveresearchesonlanguagerelatedproblems,asaresult,itisnormaltoextendappliedlinguisticstootherfields,whicharerelevanttosocialandeducationalproblems.AndthisisexactlywhatGertraudBenkehastalkedaboutinhisdissertationAppliedlinguistic-ascienceofculture?

Inhisdissertation,Benkesaid:

thusitisnotsurprisingthatdrivingtheoreticalframeworksandcontributionsto（acertainframeworkof）“appliedlinguistics”comefrompeoplewithinstitutionalaffiliationsoutsideoflinguistics-suchas（micro-）sociology（Schegloff1991,Sacks1995,Gumperz1982）,linguisticanthropology（Ochs,Gonzales,Jacoby,1993）,psychology（Mckoon,Ratcliff,1992,Crawford1995）.（Benke:

41）Andthevariousfieldsofappliedlinguisticsalltranscendtheboundariesofoneclearlydefineddiscipline.

Moreover,thelackofsuchresourcesasmoney,grants,professorships,assistantshipsmakemanyscholarsaffiliatetheirfieldsofappliedlinguisticstooneoftheestablisheddiscipline.Thus,onehasonlytwooptionstogetashareofthecaketodothesekindsof“newresearch”outsidetheestablishedtraditions:

eitheronehastoaffiliateoneselftooneoftheestablishedtraditions,oronehastoestablishthefieldasanewdiscipline…（GertraudBenke:

42）Hence,appliedlinguisticshastoaffiliatetootherdisciplines.

3.Relationshipbetweenappliedlinguisticsandlinguistics

Havingtalkedaboutthescopeofappliedlinguistics,andthereasonswhyfieldsofappliedlinguisticsarealwaysrelatedtolinguistics,therewillbeanotherproblem:

whatistherelationshipbetweenappliedlinguisticsandlinguistics?

Onecommonthemeoflinguisticsistheinterestinlanguage,itsfunction,itsdesign,itsenactment.（Benke:

42）Linguisticsisinterestedinresearchesrelatedtolanguage,accordingtoGuyCook（2012）,“linguistics-theacademicdisciplineconcernedwiththestudyoflanguageingeneral”.Theirunderstandingoflinguisticsisalmostthesame-adisciplineconcernedwithlanguagerelatedproblemsingeneral.

However,appliedlinguisticsisdifferent.Asappliedlinguisticsinvolvesmanyotherfieldslikesociolinguistics,clinicallinguistics,GuyCookthoughtthatappliedlinguisticsisconcernedwithrealityofexperienceratherthangenerallinguistics（whichisinterestedingeneralitiesunderlyingactualappearances,andabstractrealizationoflanguage）,whichissameasBenke’sthoughtthatappliedlinguistsareinterestedinthestructuralaspectsoflanguageanditssocialsignification,e.g.Generallinguisticsconstructsthelanguagesystem,appliedlinguisticsdeconstructsthestabilityofthissystemanddemonstratesitsfragilityandfleetingnature.（Benke:

43）

Inotherwords,linguisticsformasystemonwhichappliedlinguisticshasresearch.Appliedlinguisticsmakesuseofmethodologyofformallinguistics,andsharethetaskof“whatlanguageis”and“howlanguageworks”.Appliedlinguisticsisinneedofitsown