Page 200 - DENG504_LINGUISTICS

Linguistics Digvijay Pandya, Lovely Professional University

Notes
Unit 15: Branches in Linguistics: Educational Linguistics

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction
15.1 Two Disciplines: Education and Linguistics
15.2 The Historical Relationsip between the Disciplines
15.3 The Contribution of Linguistics to Education
15.4 Educational Linguistic
15.5 Related Approaches, Theories, and Methods
15.6 The Birth and Development of Educational Linguistics
15.7 The Nature and Composition of Educational Linguistics
15.8 Problem-oriented Nature of Educational Linguistics
15.9 Subfields of Educational Linguistics
15.10 Basic Principles of Educational Linguistics
15.11 Educational Linguistics’ Relations to ELT
15.12 Educational Linguistics and Language Teacher Education
15.13 Criticism of Educational Linguistics
15.14 Summary
15.15 Key-Words
15.16 Review Questions
15.17 Further Readings

Objectives

After studying this unit students will be able to:
• Provide the background and a description of the ways in which Linguistics and Education
interact with each other in current HE* teaching.

Introduction

A fully developed Educational Linguistics has to integrate linguistic understanding with all the areas
listed above. Thus educational linguistics is inevitably a sub-branch of applied linguistics, the study
of language in real-world situations where the problems and conventions are defined by non-linguists,
whether the general public or language professionals such as (eg) teachers or translators. It needs to
be informed by linguistic research but it cannot be limited to it, for language activity is constrained
by social, economic, political and ethical factors which are beyond the immediate concerns of
Linguistics proper. Thus the individual contribution that linguists can make to educational work is
twofold. First, they can provide technical understanding deriving from linguistic, psycho- or socio-
linguistic research to address educational problems, or to enable educational practitioners to become
more proficient in addressing them themselves. Second, they can contribute by collaborating with
colleagues, or by themselves operating both as linguistic and as educational researchers and teachers,
understanding the inevitable "messiness" of classroom and broader educational practice, in which so
many agendas are competing for attention in limited space. The first contribution is relatively easy; it
*HE - Higher Education

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