An Introduction to Applied Linguistics - (Edinburgh Textbooks in Applied Linguistics) 2nd Edition by Alan Davies (Paperback)

About the Book

Language and language problems affect all of us and are an integral part of our social experience. In this foundational textbook, Professor Davies takes this simple fact as his starting point and sets out to show that applied linguistics is better understood by doing it than studying it or reading about it.

Book Synopsis

This second edition of the foundational textbook An Introduction to Applied Linguistics provides a state-of-the-art account of contemporary applied linguistics. The kinds of language problems of interest to applied linguists are discussed and a distinction drawn between the different research approach taken by theoretical linguists and by applied linguists to what seem to be the same problems. Professor Davies describes a variety of projects which illustrate the interests of the field and highlight the marriage it offers between practical experience and theoretical understanding. The increasing emphasis of applied linguistics on ethicality is linked to the growth of professionalism and to the concern for accountability, manifested in the widening emphasis on critical stances. This, Davies argues, is at its most acute in the tension between giving advice as the outcome of research and taking political action in order to change a situation which, it is claimed, needs ameliorisation. This dilemma is not confined to applied linguistics and may now be endemic in the applied disciplines.The book has been updated throughout and provides an excellent introduction to the problems and issues that arise in the practice of applied linguistics. Key Features: *Surveys current issues in applied linguistics, including the concept of the Native Speaker and the development of World Englishes*Examines the influence of linguistics, cognitive science and philosophy on applied linguistics and makes a contrast with educational linguistics*Proposes that a key issue for the profession will increasingly be the tension between advice and action*Suggests that applied linguistics is a theorising rather than a theoretical discipline.Feedback on the first edition: 'Alan Davies' introductory text forcefully re-echoes the famous Edinburgh series in applied linguistics, which he contributed to in a major way.'Applied Linguistics'Every discipline coming

Review Quotes

Davies, with his impressive experience and knowledge has packaged this comprehensive coverage of the field in an original and yet accessible way. The book is a pleasure to read for its style, its theory and its weaving in ofexperience... As with the main text, the supporting features are meticulously presented. This handbook, by a tireless scholar, is recommended for professional and personal libraries.--Marilyn Lewis, Tthe University of Auckland "New Zealand Studies in Applied Linguistics"

About the Author

Alan Davies is a long-term member of staff of the Department of Applied Linguistics in the University of Edinburgh. Now Emeritus Professor and Honorary Fellow, he is a former editor of the two journals Applied Linguistics and Language Testing and was for five years Director of the Language Testing Research Centre, University of Melbourne.