Theory of Applied Linguistics

Albert Weideman is Professor of Applied Language Studies and Research Fellow at the University of the Free State. He is a rated researcher with the National Research Foundation in South Africa, has published more than ninety articles in accredited national as well as in international journals, and is the author of several books. These include Beyond expression: A systematic study of the foundations of linguistics (Van Schaik/Paideia Press 2009) and Responsible design in applied linguistics: Theory and practice (Springer, 2017). He was the main editor of Assessing academic literacy in a multilingual context: Transition and transformation (2021, Multilingual Matters), and co-editor of and contributor to Ethics and context in second language testing: Rethinking validity in theory and practice (Routledge, 2024). He has recently contributed chapters to Toegepaste taalkunde in Afrikaans (2022), to the third edition of Kontemporêre Afrikaanse taalkunde (2024; both from Van Schaik), and to a forthcoming volume in the Cambridge University Press series Studies in Language Testing (SILT) on Learning about assessing language: a matter of literacy or competency development? (Eds. B. Baker & L. Taylor).

• Chapter 1: Theorizing history: the design and preparation of language solutions.- Chapter 2: Process and plan: the five phases of applied linguistic designs.- Chapter 3: The nucleus of design: abstracting from artefact to modality. Chapter 4: Systematicity.- Chapter 5: Range and scope.- Chapter 6: Consistency.- Chapter 7: Adequacy.- Chapter 8: Differentiation.- Chapter 9: Intuitive appeal.- Chapter 10: Theoretical defensibility.- Chapter 11: Meaningfulness.- Chapter 12: Accessibility.- Chapter 13: Utility.- Chapter 14: Alignment.- Chapter 15: Accountability.- Chapter 16: Care, compassion and respect.- Chapter 17: Trustworthiness.

“A Theory of Applied Linguistics succeeds in presenting language intervention designs as a celebration of humanity. … a valuable, systematic corrective to the fragmentation of the field, challenging us to design with greater responsibility, integrity, and insight.” (Ward Peeters, Philosophia Reformata, February 18, 2026)