Introduction to Applied Linguistics

Match the definitions to the areas of study they define.

The study of language use in context. Pragmatics

The study of words, how they are formed and Morphology

their relationship to other words.

The study of what words mean by Semantics

themselves, out of context, as they are in a
dictionary. (Cutting, 2002, p.1)

The study of how language functions in Sociolinguistics

different social contexts.
The study of questions about language use Corpus linguistics
with the help of large collections of spoken
and written texts stored on computers.
The study of the cognitive processes that Second language acquisition
support the acquisition and use of language.
(de Bot & Kroll, 2002, p. 133)
The study of the formation of sentences and Syntax
the relationship of their component parts.
The application of linguistic knowledge and Forensic linguistic
methods to solving problems in legal
contexts.
The study of the process by which people Second language acquisition
learn an additional language, usually English.
The study of the sound system of a language Phonology
or variety; how languages systematically
organise their sounds.

TRUE OR FALSE?
In qualitative research there is a small TRUE
sample.
In quantitative research a hypothesis is TRUE
formed before data collection.
Qualitative research takes a deductive TRUE
approach to developing ideas.
The quantitative paradigm is a positivist one. TRUE
Quantitative research aims to gain a deep FALSE
insight into a phenomenon.
Qualitative research is used to find patterns TRUE
and averages, make predictions, and test
causal relationships.
Which of the following is NOT the concern of applied linguistics?

semantics

corpus linguistics

pragmatics

sociolinguistics

In ............................ research, data are collected via large

databases of texts and analysed with the help of software.
quantitative

qualitative

action

mixed methods

Which feature characterises qualitative research?

statistical methods

large databases

centred around numbers

open-ended

Which method of data collection is used in quantitative research?

journal

case study

questionnaire

interview
 L1 Acquisition quiz
Watch the following video and identify the features which facilitate children’s
language learning. (Baby Shark)
Singing

Body Movement

Loud music

Sounds and images together

Repetition

Fast pace

Positive feedback

Encouraging imitation
 Error analysis
The shortcomings of CA (i.e., that many of learners’ errors do not originate
in the learners’ first language) has given rise to a growing interest in
learner errors.
The question then was:
If the majority of learner errors do not come from the learners’ first
language,
where do such errors come from?
The next task includes some possible sources of error.
Match the examples of errors with the types they represent.
Please note that the categorisation of types is not and, in fact, cannot be
watertight. For example, the overgeneralisation of the regular verb form (e.g.,
goed for went) occurs in both L1 acquisition and L2 learning.
Can you tell me where is the nearest post Intralingual: within the target language itself
office?
Only two of our teachers teached us well. Developmental: errors also occurring in L1
learning
She is very sympathetic. (A Hungarian Interlingual: transfer/interference from L1
speaker meaning ‘nice’.)
We examined (pronounced as /ıgzemᴧınd/) Intralingual: within the target language itself;
two studies yesterday.
I don’t like fish but I like salmon Induced errors (teacher induced errors)
(pronounced as /sælmənd/) a lot.
 Cognitive approaches – Krashen’s theories
Match the descriptions with the relevant hypotheses of Krashen’s theory.

“an important condition for language Input hypothesis

acquisition to occur is that the acquirer
understand (via hearing or reading) input
language that contains structure ‘a bit
beyond’ his or her current level of
competence … (Krashen quoted in Brown,
1994, p. 280).
subconscious and intuitive process of Acquisition-learning hypothesis
constructing the system of a language versus
a conscious process in which learners attend
to form, figure out rules, and are generally
aware of their own process (Brown, 1994, p.
279)
We acquire the rules of language in a Natural order hypothesis
predictable order, some rules tending to
come early and others late. (Krashen quoted
in Mitchell & Myles, 2004, p. 47).
Learning has one function, and that is as an Monitor hypothesis
editor; it is thought to alter the output of the
acquired system before or after the utterance
is actually written or spoken, but the
utterance is initiated entirely by the acquired
system. (McLaughlin quoted in Mitchell &
Myles, 2004, p. 46)
learners need to let the input in; it determines Affective filter hypothesis
how receptive to comprehensible input a
learner is going to be. (Mitchell & Myles,
2004, p. 48)

The criticism of which of Krashen’s hypotheses can you find below?

It ignores well-documented cases of Natural order hypothesis

language transfer, or of individual variability;
it is based on the morpheme studies with
their known methodological problems which
reflect the accuracy of production rather than
acquisition sequences.
it is vague and imprecise; the theory becomes Input hypothesis
impossible to verify, as no independently
testable definitions are given of what
comprehensible input actually consists of,
and therefore how it might relate to
acquisition.
it is vague and atheoretical; many self- Affective filter
conscious adolescents suffer from low self-
esteem – are they therefore all bad language
learners? And are all the confident and
extrovert adults good language learners?
Clearly, they are not.
vague definition of what constitutes the two Acquisition-learning hypothesis
processes as they are very difficult to test in
practice: how can we tell when learner’s
production is the result of a conscious
process and when it is not?
Krashen suggests that it is possible to find Monitor hypothesis
overusers who do not like making mistakes
and and are therefore constantly checking
what they produce against the conscious
stock of rules they possess and there are also
underusers who do not seem to care about the
errors they make – this might have some
intuitive appeal but they are at present
impossible to test empirically.
 Sociocultural approaches
Vygotsky was born in Russia and lived in the FALSE
USA.
He was a prolific researcher. TRUE
Most of his publications were written in FALSE
Russian.
He became well-known posthumously. TRUE
 Second language acquisition
According to ………………., language learning and language acquisition
are different processes.
Krashen

Skinner

Vygotski

Chomsky

Which one of the theories below does not feature in Krashen’s Monitor
Theory?
speech act

natural order

comprehensible input

affective filter

Which statement is FALSE? Motherese …

is used by mothers only

is child-directed speech

uses diminutive forms of words

uses simplified grammar

Overgeneralization of rules/simplification may give rise to ………………..

intralingual errors

interlingual errors

induced errors

unique errors

Which statement is TRUE? Using the regular form with irregular verbs is
an error …
made by both L2 learners and native speaker children.
made by L2 learners only.

made by non-native teachers of English only.

made by native speaker children only

 Aptitude - MLAT test
Each question below has a group of words. The word at the top of the group
is not spelled in the usual way. Instead, it is spelled approximately as it is
pronounced. Your task is to recognize the disguised word from the spelling.
In order to show that you recognize the disguised word, look for one of the
five words beneath it that corresponds most closely in meaning to the
disguised word. When you find this word or phrase, write down the letter
that corresponds to your choice. Try all four samples; then click below to
check your answers.

NOW GO RIGHT AHEAD WITH THESE SAMPLE QUESTIONS.

WORK RAPIDLY!
kloz

relatives

nearby

giant

attire

stick

restrnt

space explorer

sleepy

food

drug

self-control

prezns

forecasts

dates

kings

explanations

gifts
grbj

boast

waste

car port

seize

boat

In each of the following questions, we will call the first sentence the key sentence.

One word in the key sentence will be underlined and printed in capital letters. Your

task is to select the letter of the word in the second sentence that plays the same

role in that sentence as the underlined word in the key sentence. Look at the following
sample question:

Sample: JOHN took a long walk in the woods.

Children (A) in blue jeans (B) were singing (C) and dancing (D) in the park (E).

You would select “A.” because the key sentence is about “John” and the second

sentence is about “children.”

NOW GO RIGHT AHEAD WITH THESE SAMPLE QUESTIONS. Write down your
answers so that you can check them when you are finished.

MARY is happy.

From the look (A) on your face (B), I (C) can tell that you must (D) have had a bad day
(E).

We wanted to go out, BUT we were too tired.

Because (A) of our extensive training, we (B) were confident when (C) we were out
sailing, yet (D) we were always aware of (E) the potential dangers of being on the lake.
 B

John said THAT Jill liked chocolate.

In our (A) class, that (B) professor claimed that (C) he knew that (D) girl on the (E)
television news show.

The officer gave me a TICKET!

When she went away to college (A), the young man’s daughter (B) wrote him (C) the
most beautiful letter (D) that he (E) had ever received.

D
 Motivation quiz
Match the researchers and the theories.
Gardner and his colleagues (Gardner 1985) integrative and instrumental motivation
Deci and Rya, 1985 extrinsic and intrinsic motivation
Covington, 1998 self-worth theory
Bandura, 1997 self-efficacy
Weiner, 1972 attribution theory
Dörnyei, 2001 a process model of L2 motivation
 Individual differences
Auditory, kinesthetic, visual and tactile are ……………… learning styles.
analytical

personality

sensory

cognitive

Which statement is TRUE?

People with high IQ scores are always better language learners than those with low IQ scores.

IQ tests assess musical competence.

Motivation changes over time.

There is strong evidence that people learn better when they receive information in their
preferred learning style.

Choice motivation - Executive motivation - Motivational retrospection

represents ..............
the Canadian model

Bandura’s model

Deci and Ryan’s model

Dörnyei’s model

Which one is NOT a component of the Modern Language Aptitude Test?

rote learning ability

inductive learning ability

phonetic coding ability

deductive learning ability

Which statement is FALSE?

Self-efficacy entails how learners estimate their capabilities and manage themselves.

Self-worth theory emphasizes the importance of the beliefs learners hold about themselves.

Aptitude is an innate and fixed personality trait.

VARK includes writing.
 Types of discourse
Complete the table below with the following.
BA thesis, text message to friend, job interview, scholarly article, conference presentation,
email to tutor, letter of application, conversation over tea/coffee with close relative

Written formal BA thesis, Scholarly article, letter of application

Written informal text message to a friend, email to tutor

Spoken formal job interview, conference presentation

Spoken informal conversation over tea/coffee with close relative

 Discourse analysis
What is the formal equivalent of the following informal text?

Well, frankly, the problem as I see it at this moment in time is whether I

should just lie down under all this hassle and let them walk all over me, or
whether I should just say OK, I get the message, and do myself in. I
mean, let’s face it, I’m in a no-win situation, and quite honestly, I’m so
stuffed up to here with the whole stupid mess that I can tell you I’ve just got
a good mind to take the easy way out. That’s the bottom line. The only
problem is, what happens if I find, when I’ve bumped myself off, there’s
some kind of … ah, you know, all that mystical stuff about when you die,
you might find you’re still – know what I mean?

(Cameron, D. Verbal Hygiene. p. 108)

The Queen's speech

Steve Job's commencement speech

Hamlet’s soliloquy

Barack Obama's election speech

A genre is defined in reference to …………………..

communicative purpose

register

the structure of discourse

content

Which cohesive device is used in the following sentence?

Elizabeth likes Manchester United and her father, Arsenal.

repetition

substitution

reference
 ellipsis

Which cohesive device is used in the following sentence?

They pressed round him in ragged fashion to take their money. Andy, Dave,
Phil, Stephen, Rob.

(G. Swift cited in McCarthy, M. Discourse analysis for language teachers.

1991, p. 35)
substitution

cataphoric reference

ellipsis

anaphoric reference

Which statement is false?

Genres are fully under the control of individual writers.

Different genres carry different degrees of power.

Genres are relatively stable.

Genres change in response to changing social needs.

 Politeness: Face – Quiz
Which face want is satisfied in the following situation?

Name dropping.
negative face want

positive face want

Please do not disturb

negative face want

positive face want

Politeness: FTAs – Quiz

Positive or negative politeness strategies are used in the example below?
Goodness, you cut your hair!

Positive

negative

I’m fine. And you?

positive

negative

I just want to ask you if I can borrow a single sheet of paper.

positive

negative

Why don’t I help you with that suitcase?

positive

negative

I’m sure you must be very busy, but…

positive

negative
Which strategy do the following example represent?

Situation: You want the person to whom you are talking to sit down.

You point to a chair.

off record

on record with redressive action – negative politeness

on record with redressive action – positive politeness

bald on record

Take a seat.

off record

on record with redressive action – negative politeness

on record with redressive action – positive politeness

bald on record

Let’s sit down and go through it together.

off record

on record with redressive action – negative politeness

on record with redressive action – positive politeness

bald on record

Would you mmind taking a seat?

off record

on record with redressive action – negative politeness

on record with redressive action – positive politeness

bald on record
 Language, dialect, variety_quiz
“used to refer either to a single linguistic language
norm or to a group of related norms”
(Wardhaugh and Fuller, 2015, p. 28)
“used to refer to one of the norms” dialect
(Wardhaugh and Fuller, 2015, p. 28)
“sub-varieties of a single language … dialect
distinguished by how much the linguistic
system differs (Meyerhoff, 2006, p. 289)
a language variety which arises from pidgin
language contact and is used in fairly
restricted social domains (Meyerhoff, 2006,
p. 293)
where speakers differ at the level of accent
pronunciation (Meyerhoff, 2006, p. 286)
relatively neutral term used; avoids the variety
problem of drawing a distinction between
language and dialect, and avoids negative
attitudes often attached to the term dialect
(Meyerhoff, 2006, p. 297)
a language variety arising out of a situation creole
of language contact; it is the first language of
some community or group of speakers
(Meyerhoff, 2006, p. 288)
a system of communication used by human language
beings which has certain characteristics
distinguishing it from forms of
communication found elsewhere in the
animal kingdom (Pearce, 2007, p. 101)
is concerned with how people sound (Pearce, accent
2007, p. 2)
a language created to act as a means of creole
communication between groups of people
who do not have a language in common; has
native speakers (Pearce, 2007, p. 141)
 Standard and non-standard varieties – quiz
Despite the fact that it is used by a minority, the standard variety is often
considered to be the correct and good one. Which of the following
structures would you regard as incorrect?
I didn’t say nothing. Not standard
Whom did they elect to speak for them? Standard
My sister is younger than he. Standard
She was sat there silently. (Thomas, et al. Standard
2004, pp. 180-181)
To boldly go where no one has gone before! Standard
 Estuary English
Alex Scott was covering the Tokyo 2020 Olympics for the BBC.

true

false

Tower Hamlets is a middle-class area in London.

true

false

Lord Digby Jones criticised Alex Scott for her grammar.

true

false

Stephen Fry took sides with Alex Scott in the debate with Lord Digby Jones.

true

false

According to Stephen Fry, linguists agree with Lord Digby Jones’ criticism.

true

false
 Kachru's circles
Put the countries into the circle they belong to in Kachru’s model of the
spread of English.
Inner circle:

- Canada
- USA

Outer Circle

- Ghana
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- Zimbabwe
- India

Expanding Circle

- Hungary
- Finland
- Russia
-
 English as a Lingua Franca
The Outer circle in Kachru’s model of the spread of English is:
norm dependent

norm independent

norm developing

norm providing

Using uncountable nouns as countable ones does NOT feature in

Standard Biritsh English

Ghanaian English

Indian and Ghanaian English

Indian English

Which statement is FALSE?

Native varieties of English are superior to the varieties used in the Outer Circle.

There are native speakers in ELF contexts of use.

English as a lingua franca is a particular context of use.

The majority of the users of English are non-native speakers.

Which feature of pronunciation can be found in the Lingua Franca Core?

consonant clusters

voiced ‘th’ /ð/

voiceless ‘th’ /θ/

dark ‘l’ /ɫ/

Which one is NOT a feature of ELF communication?

accommodation

frequent use of idioms

code switching

repetition
 Psycholinguistics - Introductory quiz
Which three main branches of linguistics are identified in the talk?
phonology/phonetics

language processing

morphology/syntax

language acquisition

semantics/pragmatic

neurolinguistics

Which branches of lingusitics are concerned with sounds?

morphology

phonology

phonetics

semantics

syntax

pragmatics

Which branches of linguistics are concerned with meaning?

phonology

morphology

syntax

pragmatics

sematnics

phonetics

Which branches of lingusitics has been included in this lecture series?

language acquisition

neurobilogical factors

psychological factors
language processing

What is the main concern of psycholinguistics?

pragmatics

language acquisition

pschological factors

neurobiological factors

language processing

Which are the main branches of psycholinguistics?

phonetics/phonology

language acquisition

neurolingistics

morphology/syntax

language acquisition

Which branch have we already looked at within the frameworkof this

lecture series?
pragmatics

language acquisition

psycholinguistics

neurolinguistics
 Spoonerism – quiz
What might have been the original wordings of the following spoonerisms?

“I have a half-warmed fish in my mind” “half-formed wish”

“a blushing crow” “a crushing blow”
a lack of pies a pack of lies
The Mittle Lermaid The Little Mermaid
chish and fips fish and chips
belly jeans jelly beans
 Articulation
How does Levelt define articulation?
the rapid production of words

the rapid production of syllables

the rapid production of sounds

the rapid production of morphemes

A syllable is a small motor programme, an instruction to muscles in your

vocal tract. When we speak, we retrieve these small syllable programmes
from our syllable memory. It is called the mental syllabary.
True

False

How many different syllables does the mental syllabary contain?

roughly 200

roughly 12000

roughly 4500

roughly 1200

How fast can we retrieve syllables from our mental syllabary?

4-5 per second

10-12 per second

1-2 per second

15-20 per second

How many muscles are involved in speech production in the vocal tract?
about 60

about 10

about 100

about 150

What is the rate of producing speech sounds?

6-8 per second

20-25 per second

2-3 per second

10-15 per second

 Final test of definitions
The underlying logical connectedness of a text; recognisable organisational
pattern.
Coherence

Linguistic fingerprint; a variety of language unique to an individual

speaker.
idiolect

Automatised knowledge in long-term memory which can be made available

rapidly.
procedural knowledge

Lexical items which are typically associated with each other because they
often occur together in similar environments.
Collocations

An individual’s ability as a language learner is not conceived of as a fixed,

quantifiable amount given at birth, but rather as a complex, ongoing
process of multiple developable skills.
growth mindset

Speech variety used by a particular group of people, usually sharing the

same occupation.
register

No conscious attention to language form is paid when learning a language.

acquisition

The public self-image that every member wants to claim for himself,
consisting of two related aspects.
face

It involves data collection procedures that result primarily in numerical

data which is then analysed primarily by statistical methods
qualitative research
Make your conversational contribution such as is required, at the stage at
which it occurs, by the accepted purpose or direction of the talk exchange in
which you are engaged.
Grice’s Cooperative Principles

The loss of linguistic abilities.

language attrition

Specific actions, behaviours, steps, or techniques that students use to

improve their own progress in developing skills in a second or foreign
language.
language learning strategies

There is a time in human development when the brain is predisposed for

success in language learning.
Critical Period Hypothesis

Motivation to learn the language of a valued community in order to

facilitate communication with that group.
integrative motive

A local means of intra-national communication in countries in what Kachru

(1992) refers to as the ‘Outer Circle’: we might call these manifestations of
local EIL.
World Englishes