Davies A. A Glossary of Applied Linguistics

Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2005. — VIII, 142 p.Writing a single authored glossary of applied linguistics has advantages and disadvantages. The advantages are, it is to be hoped, coherence and a unified perspective. The disadvantages are the lack of expertise across so wide-ranging a field and the inevitable solitariness of the task.Applied Linguistics is still a growing field. Key texts and handbooks have appeared in recent years and international applied linguistics conferences and professional associations occur regularly. While Applied Linguistics continues to attract new entrants and to generate new strands of research, there is a need for a clear and concise map of the field. This is the purpose of the Glossary.The author, Alan Davies, is a well-established, well-published authority on applied linguistics. Not a typically dry dictionary, Dr. Davies infuses the alphabetical entries with a touch of humor and thought-provoking context creating an up-to-date, useful, and coherent view of applied linguistics.The Glossary compiles the most ubiquitously used terms in applied linguistics and teacher-training literature. It takes a wide-ranging view of the field, drawing not only on linguistics but including psychology, sociology, education, measurement theory, speech therapy, translation, and language planning. Other features include:
*numerous cross-references to key terms;
*an introduction, which discusses the difficulty of defining applied linguistics; and
*a brief reading list of key text.