The development of this course has been funded by the Curriculum Resource Center (“CRC”) at the Central European University (“CEU”),
whose programs are partially funded by the Higher Education Support Program (“HESP”). The opinions expressed herein are the author’s own
and do not necessarily express the views of CEU.
Lecturer:
Host Institution:
Course Title:
Year of CDC Grant:
Meilutė Ramonienė
Vilnius University
Applied Linguistics
2002 / 2003
I. Introduction
The course of Applied Linguistics intends to examine the role of the increasingly complex
linguistic phenomena in human society, the diverse range of interdisciplinary problems of the
field as well as the problem-oriented approaches and means being applied to help solving
specific problems in society.
The course of Applied Linguistics is designed as a part of the MA program of Applied
Linguistics at the Faculty of Philology, Vilnius University. It is an obligatory introductory
course included in the curriculum of the faculty for MA studies, which lasts for 2 years.
Students from other programs are also free to choose it as an elective course.
Students’ assumed knowledge basis: Linguistics.
II. Objectives of the course
The aim of the course is to provide students with knowledge on the theoretical and
methodological fundamentals of Applied Linguistics and to introduce students to the current
state of this multi-disciplinary field.
The Learning outcomes are for students:
- to comprehend the focal issues of applied linguistics and to be able to discuss the diversity
of questions facing applied linguistics today;
- to be able to work with sources and discuss dominant paradigms guiding research in this
complex and vigorous field,
- to be able to analyze specific language-based problems of Lithuania and specific language
communities in the country,
- to be able to apply theoretical principles in practical work.
III. Course details
The course combines theory with practice. It consists of 32 hours: 2 hours per week for 16
weeks. Every week there is a one-hour lecture and a one-hour seminar during which students
present papers, analyze and interpret selected literature.
Lecture/ Seminar synopsis:
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Week 1
Applied linguistics: analysis and the history of the term. An overview of applied linguistics.
Linguistics applied and applied linguistics. Applied linguistics during the 20th century.
Week 2
Research approaches in applied linguistics. The interrelationship of the areas of applied
linguistics. Institutional applied linguistics. Practice and theory.
Week 3
Applied linguistics and teaching second/foreign languages. Development of teaching
methods and approaches.
Week 4
Communicative competence: linguistic competence, socio-linguistic competence, sociocultural competence, discourse competence, strategic competence, social competence.
Curriculum development, teaching content.
Week 5
Communication and language use. Spoken and written language. Speaking and listening.
Week 6
Reading as a skill. Reading strategies: bottom-up, top-down. Reading professional texts.
Week 7
Writing as a skill. Aspects of writing: strategic, textual. Second language writing (theory,
research and pedagogy). Academic writing.
Week 8
Language assessment. Testing, test types, language proficiency testing. Validation, test
analysis. Language assessment and language teaching. Portfolios. Self-assessment.
Week 9
Learning second languages. Theories of second language acquisition. Language behaviour.
Contrastive and error analysis. Learner characteristics: age, motivation, styles and strategies.
Week 10
Language and culture. Spoken language, oral culture. Print language, literate culture.
Language and cultural identity. Socio-cultural theory and second language acquisition.
Week 11
Language and the deaf. Sign language. The acquisition of sign languages.
Forensic linguistics. Analysis of transcripts and the individual’s speech behaviour.
Week 12
Language and new technologies. Corpus development and applied linguistics. Text and
speech analysis. Frequency analysis, concordances, collocations. Information retrieval and
summarization, spell checkers. Computational phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax,
semantics, pragmatics. Computer models of grammar. Computer assisted language teaching.
Week 13
Discourse analysis and applied linguistics. Text, context, spoken and written discourse.
Coherence, cohesion, cohesive devices. Conversation analysis. Discourse analysis and
classroom interaction.
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Week 14
Mediation, translation, interpretation and applied linguistics. New technologies and
translation.
Week 15
Language contacts, ecology of languages, multilingualism in society. Language death and
language revival.
Week 16
Language policy and planning, identity and language learning. Bilingualism and bilingual
education. Socio-linguistic situation in Lithuania.
IV. Assessment
The grading of the students at the end of the course is based on:
- class participation and contribution to class discussions (25%),
- the analytical review/research paper and its oral presentation (25%),
- written in-class examination (50%).
A formative test was used in the middle of the course with 3 tasks:
- to find in a list and to define the main concepts of different areas of applied linguistics;
- to analyze a text (semi-formal e-mail letter) as an example of discourse (written/spoken
language aspects);
- to analyze colleagues’ answers.
V. Reading list
1 Lecture/ Seminar
Davies A. (1999), An Introduction to Applied Linguistics. From Practice to Theory, Edinburgh:
Edinburgh University Press.
Schmitt N. (2002) An Introduction to Applied Linguistics, London: Arnold
2 Lecture/ Seminar
Kaplan, R. B. (eds) (2002), Handbook of Applied Linguistics, New York: Oxford University
Press.
Schmitt N. (2002) An Introduction to Applied Linguistics, London: Arnold.
Akmajian A., Demers R.,A., Farmer A.,K., Harnish R., M. (2001), Linguistics. An Introduction to
Language and Communication, Cambridge, London: Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
3 Lecture/ Seminar
Brown, H. D.(2000), Principles of Language Learning and Teaching, London: Longman.
van Els, Theo (1987), Applied Linguistics and the Learning and Teaching of Foreign Languages,
Baltimore: Edvard Arnold Publishers.
Grigaliūnienė, J. (ed) ( 2002), Kalbų vaidmuo Europos integracijos procese, Vilnius: Vilniaus
universiteto leidykla.
4 Lecture/ Seminar
Brumfit C. (1984), Communicative Methodology in Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment (2001),
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
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Ramonienė M., Narbutas E., Pribušauskaitė J., Skapienė S., Vilkienė L., Slenkstis, Strasbourg:
Council of Europe Press, 1996/2002.
Pribušauskaitė J., Ramonienė M., Skapienė S., Vilkienė L. (2000), Aukštuma, Strasbourg:
Council of Europe Press.
5 Lecture/ Seminar
Crystal, D. (1995), The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of the English Language, Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
McCartny Michael (1998), Spoken Language and Applied Linguistics, Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
Kaplan, R. B. (eds) (2002), Handbook of Applied Linguistics, New York: Oxford University
Press.
Ur, Penny, Teaching Listening Comprehension, Cambridge, 1987.
6 Lecture/ Seminar
Nuttal, C. (1996) Teaching Reading Skills in a Foreign Language, London: Heinemann.
Crystal, D. (1995), The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of the English Language, Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
Kaplan, R. B. (eds) (2002), Handbook of Applied Linguistics, New York: Oxford University
Press.
7 Lecture/ Seminar
Katkuvienė, L.E. (2003), Writing Matters, Vilnius: Vilnius University Press.
Kaplan, R. B. (eds) (2002), Handbook of Applied Linguistics, New York: Oxford University
Press.
Swales J.M. and Feak CH.B. (1997), Academic Writing for Graduate Students, Michigan: The
University of Michigan Press.
8 Lecture/ Seminar
Davies, A. (1992), Principles of Language Testing, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment (2001),
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Schmitt N. (2002) An Introduction to Applied Linguistics, London: Arnold
9 Lecture/ Seminar
Brown, H. D. Principles of Language Learning and Teaching, London: Longman.
Schmitt N. (2002) An Introduction to Applied Linguistics, London: Arnold
Cokk ,V. (2001), Second Language Learning and Language Teaching, London: Arnold.
Ellis R. (1997), Second Language Acquisition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Aitchison, J. (1996), The Language Web, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
10 Lecture/ Seminar
Kramsch, C. (1993), Context and culture in language teaching, Oxford.
M. Byram, G. Zarate, G. Neuner (1997), Sociocultural competence in language learning and teaching.
Studies towards a Common European Framework of references for language learning and teaching,
Strasbourg: Council of Europe Press.
Ramonienė M., Tarpkultūrinė komunikacija ir lietuvių kalbos kaip svetimosios mokymas(is),
in: Tarpdisciplininiai ryšiai lituanistikoje, Vilnius, 1999, p.123 - 132.
11 Lecture/ Seminar
Crystal, D. (1995), The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
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Lewis W. (Ed.) Bilingual Teaching of Deaf Children in Denmark – Description of a Project 1982-1992.
Døveskolernes Materialcenter, Aalborg, Denmark, 1995;
Mantrimas, D. (1999), Gestų kalba. Trumpa apybraiža, Vilnius: Jandrija
Newport, Elissa L., Meier Richard P. The Acquisition of American Sign Language. In: D. I. Slobin
(Ed.) The crosslinguistic study of language acquisition: Vol 1. The data. Hillsdale, NJ : Lawrence
Erlbaum Associates, 1985;
Johnson, Robert E., Liddell, Scott K., Erting, Carol J. Unlocking the Curriculum: Principles for
Achieving Access in Deaf Education. Gallaudet Research Institute Working Paper 89-3, Gallaudet
University, Washington, D.C., 1989
12 Lecture/ Seminar
Gudaitis L. (ed.), Darbai ir dienos, tekstynų lingvistika (2000), Kaunas:Vytauto Didžiojo
universiteto leidykla.
Crystal, D. (2001), Language and the Internet, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hunston, S. (2002), Corpora in Applied Linguistics, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
13 Lecture/ Seminar
Hatch, E. (1992), Discourse and Language Education, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Schmitt N. (2002) An Introduction to Applied Linguistics, London: Arnold
Jaworski, A., Coupland N. (eds)(1999), The Discourse Reader, Routledge: London.
14 Lecture/ Seminar
Kaplan, R. B. (eds) (2002), Handbook of Applied Linguistics, New York: Oxford University
Press.
Ambrasas-Sasnava K. (1984), Vertimo tyrinėjimai, Vilnius: Mokslas.
Armalytė O., Pažūsis L. (1990), Vertimo teorijos pradmenys, Vilnius: Vilniaus universiteto
leidykla.
15 Lecture/ Seminar
Karaliūnas S. (1997), Kalba ir visuomenė. Psichologiniai ir komunikaciniai kalbos vartojimo bruožai,
Vilnius: Lietuvių kalbos instituto leidykla.
Trudgill P. (2000), Sociolinguistics. An introduction to language and society, London: Penguin books.
Chambers J.K. (2003), Sociolinguistic Theory. Linguistic Variation and its Social Significance, Oxford:
Blackwell Publichers.
Crystal, D. (2000), Language death, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
16 Lecture/ Seminar
McKay, S.L., Hornberger, N.(eds) (1996), Sociolinguistics and Language Teaching, Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Baker C. (2001), Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, Clevedon: Multilingual
Matters.
Hogan-Brun, G., Ramonienė M. (2003), Emerging Language and Education Policies in
Lithuania, Language Policy 2, 27-45.
VI. Teaching Methodology
During the lectures students are presented with theoretical and applied aspects of the subject.
The seminars involve discussions, small group work and paper presentations by the students
who are also encouraged to discuss relevant additional issues. Students are provided with
additional material in the reader.
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VII. Number of participating students
In 2002/3 there were 11 students:
9 students of MA Applied Linguistics,
1 student of MA Lithuanian linguistics,
1 student of MA Scandinavian linguistics
VIII. Additional remarks
Two experts involved in fields of Sign Language and Forensic Linguistics were invited to the
seminars to introduce their field of work and to answer students’ questions.
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