ERIC Number: ED350822
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1988
Pages: 14
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Applied Linguistics in Society.
Trim, John
A history of the British Association for Applied Linguistics (BAAL) on the occasion of its 20th anniversary focuses on its early evolution and the research themes evident in the annual conference papers. This paper begins with a brief discussion of the longstanding relationship between the scholarly study of language and practical concern with language in society and the emergence of the field of applied linguistics with growing interest in phonetics, in the 19th century. Interest in phonetics, and then phonemics, throughout Europe, and concern for language teaching during and after World War II are chronicled. Forces acting in the early 1960s to promote international cooperation in language teaching, and subsequently to develop interinstitutional linkages in British universities with applied linguistics departments, are outlined. An analysis of the proceedings of the second meeting of the BAAL indicates the range and distribution of interest areas within applied linguistics at the time, and it is further suggested that the framework of interests has remained fairly stable over the association's history. Areas of the field in which emphasis should be strengthened, and possible directions for the next two decades, are noted. A 39-item bibliography is included. (MSE)
Publication Type: Historical Materials; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A