应用语言学界说论略

On the Def initions of Applied Linguistics

应用语言学的界说研究众论纷繁,笔者把收集到的五十余条界说大致归为三类:单源界说、多源界说和超越界说,逐一论略。单源界说把语言学看做是应用语言学的单一来源;多源界说则认为除语言学外,心理语言学、人类学、教育学等学说也是应用语言学的来源;超越界说在认同"多源"的基础上,强调应用语言学不仅应用于语言教学,而且应用于语言的实用。据此,笔者主张将界说的重心移向"应用"本体,并确立应用语言学是一门多源的独立学科的地位:应用语言学是研究如何应用相关语言学理论及相关学科理论解决语言实用问题和语言教与学中的问题的学科。应用语言学不只是"消费者",同时也是"产出者"。

There are a great many of definitions of applied linguistics in the world. The authors have collected more than fifty of them which can be classified into three categories, namely, mono-source definition, multi-source definition and beyond-the-source definition, the first of which refers to linguistics as the only source of applied linguistics, the second of which denotes psycholinguistics, anthropology, educational theory and other theories as multi-source of applied linguistics in addition to linguistics, and the third of which indicates that applied linguistics not only enquires into language instruction but also language in use. The authors thus put forward their own definition that applied linguistics is a multi-source discipline which deals with how to apply relevant linguistic insights and relevant disciplinary theories to bear on problems of language in use and on problems of language teaching and learning. Applied linguistics is not a ＂consumer＂ or ＂user＂ of theories. It possesses its own theories.