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The applied linguist and the foreign language teacher
Can they talk to each other?
- Source: Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, Volume 18, Issue 1, Jan 1995, p. 1 - 16
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Abstract
Applied linguists invent their domain of inquiry as much as they investigate it and so do language teachers. Several factors make true intellectual dialogue between them difficult. The paper reviews briefly the reasons for the emergence of a discourse problem in language study and then examines the nature of this problem and suggests ways in which applied linguists and foreign language teachers can engage in intellectual dialogue. It is argued that applied linguists and language teachers can understand one another by engaging together in an intellectual exploration of the historical and social forces that have shaped their respective discourses. Ultimately what is important for each to understand is not the different answers they give but the different questions they ask.