Applied Linguistics as Social Science surveys the increasing dialogue between linguistics and social theory. The book shows how social theory, applied linguistics and sociolinguistics share a set of common concerns, and how an analysis of these to produce a social scientific account of applied linguistics helps to explain the interaction between social structures, human agents and language. Foreword Introduction Making connections: some key issues in social theory and applied linguistics Sociology and ideas about language Language as a cultural emergent property Researching language learning: theories, evidence, claims Social categories and theoretical descriptions Social domain theory: interpreting intercultural communication Language in the world: properties and powers A social realist approach to research in applied linguistics .
Alison Sealey is Professor Emerita of Applied Linguistics at Lancaster University, UK. Bob Carter is Associate Professor in Sociology at the University of Warwick.
Foreword by Derek Layder; Introduction; Making connections: some key issues in social theory and applied linguistics; Sociology and ideas about language; Language as a cultural emergent property; Researching language learning: theories, evidence, claims; Social categories and theoretical descriptions; Social domain theory: interpreting intercultural communication; Language in the world: properties and powers; A social realist approach to research in applied linguistics
"Sealey and Carter should be congratulated for bridging disciplinary boundaries and attempting to provide a sociological and linguistic theory for everyone. Applied Linguistics as Social Science will come as a welcome addition to the literature of social/linguistic theory for both social scientists and applied linguists." --The Linguist List, February 2005