Applied linguistics and psychometrics have influenced language testing, providing additional tools for investigating factors affecting language test performance and assuring measurement reliability. An examination is presented of language testing, including the theoretical issues involved, the methodological advances, language test development,…

Argues that the focus of literacy studies or applied linguistics should not be language, or literacy, but social practices. Introduces a concept of language usage called "Discourse," incorporating words, acts, values, beliefs, attitudes, and social identities as well as gestures, glances, body positions, and clothes. (FMW)

The last 20 years in applied linguistics have seen the evolution of the communicative approach in language teaching and the development of a number of language teaching innovations. Investigating the problems associated with implementing these innovations is essential. Frameworks for evaluating and tracking the diffusion of innovations are…

Reviews theoretical and research literature on learner strategies and self-directed language learning, particularly concerning the role of metacognitive knowledge in learning. Argues that too little attention is given to the function of metacognition in language learning. Practical implications for second-language instruction are discussed.…

Focuses on one particular psychological dimension, extraversion-introversion. The relatively small number of linguistic studies in which extraversion is focused on as an independent variable suggests that applied linguists believe it unrelated to speech production or language learning. Argues that this suspicion is based on a misunderstanding…

Describes the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL), a private, non-profit, non-affiliated organization in Washington, DC (with a satellite division in Sarasota, Florida). CAL conducts a wide range of activities, including research, teacher education, analysis and dissemination of information, design and development of instructional materials,…

Focuses on genre and its application in language teaching and learning. Suggests genre approaches have had an impact on how we understand discourse and transform literacy education in different contexts around the world. Describes studies on generic integrity and variation, and the ways that genres are seen as similar and different in terms of…

A linguistic approach to language acquisition is based on two tenets: the workings of language must be studied through grammatical analysis and psycholinguistic experimentation, and understanding how a particular language is acquired requires cross-linguistic comparative research. Illustrates these tenets, discussing dative alternation in…

Discusses writing and literacy in the domain of applied linguistics. Focus is on needs analysis for literacy acquisition; second language learner identity; longitudinal studies as extensions of identity work; and applied linguistics contributions to second language literacy research. (Author/VWL)

Discusses the second language acquisition (SLA) process and the differential success of second language learners. Examines the fundamental challenges that this characterization faces, and highlights the contributions SLA is capable of in the coming decade. Offers topics for a training and development of curriculum for future applied linguists from…

Discusses the relationship between the terms psycholinguistics and applied linguistics, and in the process explores key issues in multilingual processing, such as the structure of the bilingual lexicon, language choice in production and perception, and the language mode. (Author/VWL)

This response article addresses two issues raised by the publication of Basturkmen et al. (2004). The most important one concerns the nature of the research itself, whilst the other relates to the relevance of the purpose of the research to the aims of the involvement of applied linguistics in second and foreign language teaching. As to the first,…

After a review of the theoretical context to current research on literacy, consideration is given to aspects of the literacy practices of the Moroccan community in the Ladbroke Grover area of West London. Findings from a study of literacy in its social context in Morocco are cited in the discussion of the West London practices. Emphasis is on the…

Interest in the application of modern linguistic theory in composition research has faded, possibly because some of the basic principles that inform linguistic study have been misunderstood. For example, a common misconception is that linguists use the term "generate" to mean "produce." However, the purpose of a generative…

There are two main areas of activity hidden behind the catch-phrase "high technology": the domain of computers and communication, and biological engineering. Because both deal with patterns of organization and information, it would seem that linguistics could contribute to their advancement. The main concept in information systems is…