SCHMITZ, J. R. Some polemical issues in Applied Linguistics.

Revista Brasileira de
Lingustica Alicada, Belo Horizonte, . !", n. !, p. #!$%#, #"!". &ispon'el em( )* Acesso
em
Some applied linguists, di++erent +rom specialists in ot,er areas suc, as ps-c,olog-,
c,emistr- and la., are unsure o+ .,at t,eir discipline entails. /er t,e course o+ t,e -ears,
one o0seres o+ten con+licting de+initions o+ .,at t,e +ield o+ AL is. 1p. ##
A desire +or sta0le disciplines and neatl- delineated 0oundaries 0et.een t,em suggests an
essentialist ie. o+ AL, t,at is, t,e +ield is deemed categoricall- to consist o+ endeaor x, 0ut
not endeaor y. T,e .is, +or a +i2ed ie. o+ AL, I .ould argue, narro.s t,e +ield and
discourages multi$, inter$ and cross$disciplinarit-. 1p. ##3
456 it .ould seem to 0e contradictor- to lament t,at t,e 0oundaries o+ AL are 7ragged7 and
its scope 7muc, too .ide7 and at t,e same time consider it to 0e interdisciplinar- or
cross$disciplinar- .,ere t,e .idening o+ t,e 0oundaries .ould 0e t,e rule. 1p. ##3
It .ould 0e important +or students ne. to t,e +ield not to conclude 1m- emp,asis3 t,at ie.s
o+ AL ,eld oer %" -ears ago .ere misguided. T,e- sered t,e discipline oer t,e -ears at a
certain point in time 0ut no. t,e- ,ae outlied t,eir use+ulness. A sense o+ .,ere t,e
discipline ,as 0een and .,ere it is at t,e present time are essential +or a +eeling o+ t,e ,istor-
o+ t,e discipline t,at .ould include 8no.ledge a0out t,e contri0utions o+ t,e
+orerunners and +ounders o+ t,e area in addition to t,e ne. oices in LA. T,e 9classics: in
t,e +ield s,ould 0e read in addition to t,e large num0er o+ 0oo8s, important ,and0oo8s and
seminal articles pu0lis,ed in t,e last t.ent- -ears. T,e canonical te2ts s,ould not 0e
9reered: 0ut respected. 1p. #%3
T,e .idening o+ AL ,as contri0uted to ma8ing t,e discipline +ar more intellectuall-
stimulating and c,allenging. Its cross$disciplinar- stance, critical ie. and engagement .it,
social issues ,ae lin8ed AL to t,e social sciences. 1p. #;3
Is t,ere, t,en, still a distinction 0et.een L$A and A$L< /ur ans.er is t,at t,ere is 0ut t,at it
cannot easil- 0e +ound in t,e topics o+ interest. Rat,er, it is +ound in t,e orientation o+ t,e
researc,ers, and .,- t,e- are inestigating a pro0lem and collecting t,eir data. &o t,e-
regard t,emseles as linguists appl-ing linguistics or as applied linguists doing applied
linguistics< Are t,e- inestigating 0ecause t,e- .is, to alidate a t,eor-< I+ so, t,at is L$A.
/r is it 0ecause t,e- see8 a practical ans.er to a language pro0lem< T,at is A$L. =e do, o+
course, recognize t,at in some, per,aps man-, cases t,e researc,er .ill ,ae 0ot, interests at
,eart. 1&A>I?S @ ?L&?R, #""%, p. !A apud SCHMITZ, #"!", p. AA, A%3