APPLIED LINGUISTICS

RG/1/25- 08 2015

RELATION BETWEEN LINGUISTICS AND APPLIED LINGUISTICS AND LANGUAGE TEACHING

Points for discussion
Linguistics: Discipline concerned with the formal structures of language as an autonomous system of
signs.
Applied Linguistics (AL):
Pit Corder (1973) Applied Linguistics is the utilization of knowledge about the nature of language
achieved by linguistic research for the improvement of the efficiency of some practical task in which
language is the central component In J.P.B. Allen et al. (eds.) Edinburgh Course in Applied Linguistics.
A cover term that covers several sub disciplines/interdisciplinary areas Language pedagogy,
contrastive analysis, second language acquisition, methods of language teaching, language testing,
Language for specific purposes, translation, lexicography, stylistics, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics,
speech pathology, natural language processing, literacy, language policy, forensic analysis etc.
In a narrow sense AL was treated as Language Teaching as most work was done in this area initially International Journal of Educational Technology and Applied Linguistics.
Annual Review of Applied Linguistics.
Applied Linguistics.
International Review of Applied Linguistics, Language Learning.
Most work
Language Pedagogy: Scientific and instructional discipline concerned with the needs, goals, content and
methods of language instruction with a view to its linguistic, sociocultural, educational, psychological
and pedagogic aspects.

LANGUAGE TEACHING
Children acquire language without any intervention called teaching.
-

Additional languages can also be learnt/acquired without teaching picking up languages

Romans had planned for acquiring Greek language - Greek from Greek-speaking slaves in
Roman homes
Skills involving written language ancient Egypt & Mesopotamia preparation for priesthood
Elsewhere secular administrative functions

The classical Period in the west:

1. Ancient Greece: 8th Cent BC transformation of Homeric legends from oral to written texts
- Greek democracy (5th Cent BC Periclean democracy) demanded specialized language skills
which would prepare future citizens:
(a) To appreciate great literary texts, e.g. Homer; and
(b) To employ oratorical skills in the service of the state
- Both Plato & Aristotle designed curriculum beginning with good writing (grammar) moving to
effective discourse (rhetoric) culminating in the development of a dialectic to promote a
philosophical approach to life.
- From 4th cent. BC - center Alexandria grammatical analysis in the modern sense born with
Dionysius Thrax identified 8 parts of speech N, Vb, participle, article, pr, preposition, advb, &
conjunction.
(Robins, R.H. 1951. Ancient and Medieval Grammatical Theory in Europe. London: Bell.
- Cicero (106-43 BC) De Oratore (55 BC)
- Quintilian (c. 35 100 AD) De Institutione Oratoria (96 AD) teach children first Greek Latin they will acquire any way.
2. Medieval Period
Early Middle Ages (400 - 1200 A) Division of Roman Empire East-West (4th Cent.
- 5th Cent Barbarian invasion swept Greek and Roman institutions Latin saved by the Church
along with Christianity.
- 4th Cent. Aelius Donatus book in two parts:
(i)
De Partibus Orationis, Ars Minor for beginners parts of speech Qs & Ans
to be learnt by heart - E.g. Q: How many parts of speech are there?
Ans: 8; Q: What are these? Ans: N, Pr, V, Adv, Participle, Conj, Prep, Int.
(ii)
Ars Grammatica, Ars Major helped in the survival of Latin in Rome
superseded by Priscian.
- East Latin a foreign language Constantinople 6th Cent, Priscian of Caesara
- Institutiones Grammaticae - 18 books 4 sections of language study till modern times
(a) Orthography (Letters & Pronunciation)
(b) Prosody
( Syllables and Versification)
(c) Accidence (Words)
(d) Syntax
(Clauses or sentences)
- Standard text in the universities.
- In addition around 1000 AD text books of Aelfic, Abbot, Eynsham
- Books: A grammar, a Glossary, & a Colloquy (dialogues of everyday use in addition to Latin for
learning & devotion)
- Made Latin palatable to youngsters.
- Latin for making priests and clerks
3. Educational Theory:
- Varros 9 books of various disciplines Curriculum of 7 subjects

(1) Medicine and architecture (specialized), (2) Trivium ( Grammar, Rhetoric, & Logic), (3) Group
of 4 advanced - Quadrivium ( Arithmetic, Geometry, Astronomy & Music)
Grammar & Arithmetic in schools and the rest in University.

4. The Later Middle Ages (1200 1500 AD)

- Latin still dominated Norman Conquest of England 11th Cent. Diglossia for some time Fr (H)/
Eng (L)
- 13th Cent Fr fell only learnt by highly literate classes
- 1270 a rhyming vocabulary Walter Bibbesworth
- By 1400 French a foreign language complaints of producing poor students Camb./Oxfd.
- 15th Cent Practical training manuals (Maniers de Langage) appeared in the form of dialogues in
French (with English gloss), depicting situations in the classroom, travelling, buying, & selling etc.
- Caxton Printing press 1480 collection of language teaching dialogues Rygt good lernying for
to lerne shortly frenssh & englyssh.
5. Early Modern Period
- 16th Cent. Dictionaries, polyglot word lists, dialogue manuals etc for foreign language learning
began to circulate
- Foreign language teaching a gainful occupation
- For some time French lingua franca in Europe
- Claudius Holyband (1573) The French Schoolemaister.
- Jacques Bellot 1580 Ist manual for teaching English as foreign language - The English
Schoolemaister
- Revival of Learning Classical Humanism Grammar Schools not interested New Latin
Grammar called Royal Grammar (William Lily) Henry VIII translation of The Bible in numerous
vernaculars MTs yet hegemony of Latin
6. 17th Century
- Jan Amos Comenius (1592 1670) Orbis Sensualium Pictus (1658) used pictures to present
things to children before they learnt Latin words associated to them
Critical of empty verbalism promoted by language teachers
- Outside classical languages a growing private market for foreign languages, especially French
- One of the earlier good grammars of English as a foreign language John Walli: Grammaticae
linguae Anglicanae (1653) in Latin for Foreigners to learn English
7. !8th Century
- Restortation 1660 grammar schools neglected Rising middle class John Locke in Some
thoughts concerning Education (1693) right way of teaching the language [French] by taking
it to children by constant conversation, and not by grammar rules

Beneficiary MT teaching standardization of English S. Johnsons Dictionary of English

Language (1755), Robert Lowths Short Introduction to English Grammar (1762), John Walkers
Critical Pronouncing Dictionary (1791)

8.
-

19th Century
Language teaching in schools
Methodology developed for classes with varying abilities rather than for individual students
Language Teaching - Grammar section, set of dialogues, prose texts, glossary
Pupil had to decide to learn with or without Tutor, to decide how to use the material schools
became more systematic
New Approach - Grammar Translation Method series of small steps in a logically graded
sequence, introduced new vocabulary in limited amounts, and practiced each step thoroughly in
specially written sentences for translation
Meidinger, J.V. (1756 1822) Praktische Franzosische Grammatik (1783) 15 edns by 1799
model called Grammar Translation Method by later opponents
Franz Ahn 1834 A New Practical and Easy Method of Learning clear. Simple, short book
grammar set out in short steps, vocabulary load was light, translation exercises carefully
designed to practice new points, key was available for self-instruction for adults
H.G. Ollendorf 1835 A New Method of Learning to Read, Write and Speak a Language in Six
months, London: Whitaker adapted to all languages of Europe in 30 years
Substantial, lengthy vocabulary list, copious translation exercises, using pseudo-conversational
format. E.g. irregular plurals in French oisseaux (birds), matelas (mattresses), marteaux
(hammers) etc.
Q: Which mattresses have the sailor? Ans: He has the good mattresses of the captain.
What has you boy? He has pretty birds etc.

9. The Reform Movement

- Self-styled reform movement in European schools backed by new ideas in Phonetics &
psychology
- For adults Grammar Translation Method abolished replaced by guided conversational
activities exclusively in foreign language Berlitz schools in USA labeled as Direct Method
- By 1870 Reform Movement insights from Phonetics were available
- Early teaching excessively boring, literary, unrelated to real world
- Phonetics became indispensable foundation for all language study
- Henry Sweet (1845 1912) Handbook of Phonetics (1877) provided basic introduction to the
subject and Practical Study of Languages (1899) was taken as the final statement. (G.B. Shaws
Pygmalion dedicated to Henry Sweet) Liza Higgins
- 1882 Wilhelm Vietor at Marmburg Sprachuntericht muss umkehren ! (language teaching must
change direction)
- Otto Jespersen (1860 1943) Copenhagen How to teach a Foreign Language (1904)

France Paul Passy 1886 Phonetic Teachers association became International Phonetic
Association (IPA) in 1897
Passy taught Phonetics to Daniel Jones (1905-06)
Basic Principles of Reform Movement
(a) Primacy of spoken Language phonetically transcribed texts
(b) Replacement of isolated sentences by coherent texts
(c) Use of foreign language in the classroom
The Direct Method
(a) No translation principle acquiring 2nd language like 1st language
(b) Teachers task to create foreign language environment in which direct associations formed
between objects and words and expressions of the new language
(c) Did not use connected text for Q & A (unlike Reform Movement)
(d) It used simple conversations like: What is this? This is a coat; What color is it? It is brown etc.
(e) Gradually built into more complicated sequences
(f) Teachers were native speakers
(g) Forbidden to use the students language
(h) 50 schools by 1900 Maximilian Berlitz.
In UK
Combine Reform Movement (oral method) & Direct Method (practical use of spoken language in
classroom)
Daniel Jones: The scientific study and Teaching of Languages (1917)
English Pronouncing Dictionary (1917)
Harold Palmer: The Principles of Language Study (1919)
Michael West Inspector of Schools in Bengal 1930 vocabulary control
IInd WW
Ist Journal English Language Teaching (1946) A. S. Hornby (ed)
Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English (1948)
Oxford Progressive English for Adult Learners (1954)
ELT established as autonomous branch in UK
In USA
Descriptive Linguistics E. Sapir, L Bloomfield (An outline for the Practical study of Foreign
Languages (1942) Lg Teaching a large scale project
ASTP (Army Specialized Training Program) Informant method combatant languages
Behaviorism
Applied Linguistics 1948 Language Teaching A Journal of Applied Linguistics (1948)
Charles Fries English Language Institutes 3 months courses
Robert Lado

Language Lab in 1950s Audio lingual Method

1960s Chomsky Most language teaching came to a halt
In Europe Audio Visual Method in 1960s Nuffield Foundation Interest again in 70s and 80s

Structural approach
1. Stimulus-response-re-inforcement; Behaviorism; Levels of analysis;
2. Contrastive Analysis
3. Error Analysis