Department of Applied Linguistics | Portland State University

Linguistics is the study of one of the most important human characteristics: language. It is an interdisciplinary field that involves the integration of sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities.

Studying linguistics is not a matter of learning lots of different languages, but rather is the study of language in general, of the essential nature of any human language.

Applied Linguistics is the study of language in relation to practical, real-world problems such as second and foreign language teaching and learning, language planning and policy, language program evaluation, language assessment, speech therapy, specialized occupational languages and related problems of communication (e.g., the use of translation in courts of law).

It draws upon a wide range of other disciplines, such as anthropology, education, linguistics, psychology, and sociology.

Rather than simply being “linguistics applied”, then, applied linguistics generates its own research and theories that at times overlap with linguistics and at other times remain quite distinct. Applied linguists and linguists have their own, separate professional organizations and identities. However, there is “cross-over”, and it is not uncommon for linguists to attend applied linguistics conferences and vice versa.

In our department, there is a mix of applied linguists and linguists and even some who would claim to be both. The key ingredient is the mutual understanding and respect that the individual faculty members have for each others work and professional identities.

The questions an applied linguist might ask include the following:

How can a language best be taught and learned?
What issues are involved in translating and interpreting languages for particular purposes (such as for courtroom testimony)?
What is involved in the ability to write and read in second (or third, or…) languages?
How does language relate to other facets of culture and society (for example, what is the relationship between identity, language, and culture)?
What sorts of problems develop when language doesn't work as it should, such as in various language disorders?
How do computer scientists use linguistic descriptions for natural language understanding systems?
How can languages be assessed for various purposes (such as determining language proficiency or placing language students into instructional programs)?
How does language work in an educational setting (such as learning to read, or reading, writing, and speaking for particular academic purposes)?

The B.A. major in Applied Linguistics would serve either as preparation for later graduate study, or as an organizing theme for a rich undergraduate education.

The MA-TESOL is a professional degree which prepares students to become teachers, language consultants, and researchers in the field of language learning and teaching.




		*Welcome to the* *Department of Applied Linguistics* at *Portland State University!* GENERAL DEPARTMENT & PROGRAM INFORMATION Linguistics is the study of one of the most important human characteristics: language. It is an interdisciplinary field that involves the integration of sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities. Studying linguistics is not a matter of learning lots of different languages, but rather is the study of language in general, of the essential nature of any human language. Applied Linguistics is the study of language in relation to practical, real-world problems such as second and foreign language teaching and learning, language planning and policy, language program evaluation, language assessment, speech therapy, specialized occupational languages and related problems of communication (e.g., the use of translation in courts of law). It draws upon a wide range of other disciplines, such as anthropology, education, linguistics, psychology, and sociology. Rather than simply being “linguistics applied”, then, applied linguistics generates its own research and theories that at times overlap with linguistics and at other times remain quite distinct. Applied linguists and linguists have their own, separate professional organizations and identities. However, there is “cross-over”, and it is not uncommon for linguists to attend applied linguistics conferences and vice versa. In our department, there is a mix of applied linguists and linguists and even some who would claim to be both. The key ingredient is the mutual understanding and respect that the individual faculty members have for each others work and professional identities. The questions that linguists ask are such as the following: How do linguistic structures relate to the sounds we utter, and how do these relate to the meanings that we express? What is the structure of these sounds, and how are they articulated? What is the nature of the syntactic structure of a sentence, and how is a grammar correctly stated? How can children master language as quickly as they do, even though the number of sentences appears to be infinitely many? What does this remarkable capacity tell us about the mind? How does human language differ from the communication systems of animals? How does language change through time? By what processes does a language diverse into two mutually incomprehensible languages, as did Latin into Rumanian and French? In turn, how can the prehistory of a language be reconstructed? The questions an applied linguist might ask include the following: How can a language best be taught and learned? What issues are involved in translating and interpreting languages for particular purposes (such as for courtroom testimony)? What is involved in the ability to write and read in second (or third, or…) languages? How does language relate to other facets of culture and society (for example, what is the relationship between identity, language, and culture)? What sorts of problems develop when language doesn't work as it should, such as in various language disorders? How do computer scientists use linguistic descriptions for natural language understanding systems? How can languages be assessed for various purposes (such as determining language proficiency or placing language students into instructional programs)? How does language work in an educational setting (such as learning to read, or reading, writing, and speaking for particular academic purposes)? The Department of Applied Linguistics offers four academic programs: B.A. in Applied Linguistics Acadmic Minor in Applied Linguistics TESL Certificate M.A. in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) The B.A. major in Applied Linguistics would serve either as preparation for later graduate study, or as an organizing theme for a rich undergraduate education. The MA-TESOL is a professional degree which prepares students to become teachers, language consultants, and researchers in the field of language learning and teaching. _{Degrees - Deadlines - Class Schedule -}_{Financial Assistance - Int'l Student Info} - Important News - _{Applied Linguistics Faculty & Staff -} Faculty Office Hours _{Bilingual/ESL Endorsement - ESL/IELP Home} - _Contact Us This page was last updated on 05-Feb-2008