Language and gender

In our introductory discussion to this Series S volume on language and gender in Australia we argue for the recognition of gender research in a broadened interpretation of applied linguistics. We forecast the place of feminist (applied)1 linguists within a wider understanding of the applications for linguistic knowledge. We discuss how this collection of papers reflects the ongoing developments and changes in language and gender research through the implementation and critique of methods and methodologies. We also present a brief overview of the panel discussion; the people, topics and directions, which was primarily responsible for this publication and forecast some directions and possible challenges for language and gender research in the Australian context.