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xxIII, Sè 1, 2007
Vo Dai Quang(*)
(*)
Assoc.Prof.Dr, Scientific Research Management Office, College of Foreign Languages - VNU.
34
Critical applied linguistics: … 35
Emancipatory
Critical thinking modernism Problematizing practice
linguistics is concerned not merely with example, ways in which the Marxist
relating language contexts to social concept of ideology relates to
contexts but rather does so from a point psychoanalytic understandings of
of view that views social relations as subconscious, how aspects of popular
problematic. Although a great deal of culture are related to forms of political
work in sociolinguistics, for example, has control, and how particular forms of
tended to map language onto a rather positivism and rationalism have come to
static view of society; critical dominate other possible ways of
sociolinguistics is concerned with a thinking. At the very least, this body of
critique of ways in which language work reminds us that critical applied
perpetuates inequitable social relations. linguistics needs at some level to engage
From the point of view of studies of with the long legacy of Marxism, Neo-
language and gender, the issue is not Marxism, and its many
merely to describe how language is used counterarguments. Critical work in this
differently along gendered lines but to sense has to engage with questions of
use such an analysis as part of social inequality, injustice, rights, and wrongs.
critique and transformation. A central Looking more broadly at the
element of critical applied linguistics, implications of this line of thinking, we
therefore, is a way of exploring language might say that “critical” here means
in social contexts that goes beyond mere taking social inequality and social
correlations between language and transformation as central to one’s work.
society and instead raises more critical Marc Poster (1989:3) suggests that
questions to do with access, power, “critical theory springs from an
disparity, desire, difference, and assumption that we live amid a world of
pain, that much can be done to alleviate
resistance. It also insists on a historical
that pain, and that theory has a crucial
understanding of how social relations
role to play in that process”.
came to be the way they are.
Taking up Poster’s (1989) terms,
Critical Theory critical applied linguistics is an approach
One way of taking up such questions to language-related questions that
has been through the work known as spring from an assumption that we live
Critical Theory, a tradition of work amid a world of pain and that applied
linked to Frankfurt School and such linguistics may have an important role
thinkers as Adorno, Horkheimer, Walter in either the production or the
Benjamin, Erich Fromm, Herbert alleviation of some of that pain. But it is
also a view that insists not merely on the
Marcuse, and currently Jürgen
alleviation of pain but also the
Habermas. A great deal of critical social
possibility of change.
theory, at least in the Western tradition,
Problematizing Givens
has drawn in various ways on this
reworking of Marxist theory to include While the sense of critical thinking
more complex understandings of, for as discussed earlier - a set of thinking
assurity about its own rightness, its arguments for why alternative
belief that an adequate critique of social possibilities may be better. For this
and political inequality can lead to an reason, ethics has to become a key
alternative reality. A postmodern building block for critical applied
problematizing stance, however, needs to linguistics, although, as with my later
maintain a greater sense of humility and discussion of politics, this is not a
difference and to raise questions about normative or moralistic code of practice
the limits of its own knowing. This self- but a recognition that these are ethical
reflexive position also suggests that concerns with which we need to deal.
critical applied linguistics is not concerned And this notion suggests that it is not
with producing itself as a new orthodoxy, only a language of critique that is being
with prescribing new models and developed here but rather an ethics of
procedures for doing applied linguistics. compassion and a model of hope and
Rather, it is concerned with raising a host possibility.
of new and difficult questions about Critical Applied Linguistics as
knowledge, politics, and ethics. Heterosis
Preferred Futures Using Street’s (1984) distinction
Critical applied linguistics also needs between autonomous and ideological
to operate with some sort of vision of approaches to literacy, Rampton (1995b)
what is preferable. Critical work has argues that applied linguistics in Britain
often been criticized for doing little more has started to shift from its “autonomous
than criticize things, for offering nothing ” view of research with connections to
but a bleak and pessimistic vision of pedagogy, linguistics, and psychology to
social relations. Various forms of critical a more “ideological” model with
work, particularly, in areas such as connections to media studies and a more
education, have sought to avoid this trap grounded understanding of social
by articulating “utopian” visions of processes. Critical applied linguistics
opens the door for such change even
alternative realities, by stressing the
wider by drawing on yet another range
“transformative” mission of critical work
of “outside” work (critical theory,
or the potential for change through
feminism, postcolonialism,
awareness and emancipation. While such
poststructuralism, antiracist pedagogy)”
goals at least present a direction for
that both challenges and greatly
reconstruction, they also echo with a rather
enriches the possibilities for doing
troubling modernist grandiosity. Perhaps
applied linguistics. This means not only
the notion of preferred futures offers us a that critical applied linguistics implies a
slightly more restrained and plural view of hybrid model of research and praxis but
where we might want to head. also that it generates something that is
Such preferred futures, however, far more dynamic. The notion of
need to be grounded in ethical heterosis hereby understood as the
Table 2
Critical Applied Linguistics Concerns
summarized briefly in this article are and use work from these other areas, but
critical discourse analysis and critical it should certainly only do so critically.
literacy, critical approaches to Nevertheless, there are clearly major
translation, language teaching, language affinities and overlaps between critical
testing, language planning and language applied linguistics and other named
rights, literacy, and workplace settings. critical areas such as critical literacy and
Critical Discourse Analysis and critical discourse analysis. Critical
Critical Literacy literacy has less often been considered in
It might be tempting to consider applied linguistics, largely because of its
critical applied linguistics as an greater orientation towards first
amalgam of other critical domains. From language literacy, which has often not
this view point, critical applied fallen within the perceived scope of
linguistics would either be made up of or applied linguistics. It is possible,
constitute the intersection of, areas such however, to see critical literacy in terms
as critical linguistics, critical discourse of the pedagogical application of critical
analysis (CDA), critical language discourse analysis and therefore a quite
awareness, critical pedagogy, critical central concern for critical applied
sociolinguistics, and critical literacy. linguistics. Critical Discourse Analysis
Such a formulation is unsatisfactory for (CDA) and critical literacy are
several reasons. First, the coverage of sometimes also combined under the
such domains is rather different from rubric of critical language awareness
that of critical applied linguistics; (CLA) since the aim of this work is to
critical pedagogy, for example, is used empower learners by providing them a
broadly across many areas of education. critical analytical framework to help
Second, there are many other domains – them reflect on their own language
feminism, queer theory, postcolonialism, experiences and practices and on the
to name but a few - that do not operate language practices of others in the
under an explicit critical label but that institutions of which they are a part and in
clearly have a great deal of importance the wider society within which they live.
for the area. Third, it seems more Critical approaches to literacy are
constructive to view critical applied characterized by a commitment to
linguistics not merely as an amalgam of reshape literacy education in the
different parts or a metacategory or interests of marginalized groups of
critical work but rather in more dynamic learners, who on the basis of gender,
and productive terms. And finally, cultural and socio-economic background
crucially, part of developing critical have been excluded from access to the
applied linguistics is developing a discourses and texts of dominant
critical stance toward other areas of economies and cultures.
work, including other critical domains. Although critical literacy does not
Critical applied linguistics may borrow stand for a unitary approach, it marks
are suggestions for different practices terms and instead correlating language
that might start to change how testing is variation with superficial measures of
done. All these are clearly aspects of social stratification, traditional
CLT that bring it comfortably within the sociolinguistics fails to “establish a
ambit of critical applied linguistics. connection between people’s place in the
Language Planning and Language societal hierarchy, and the linguistic and
Rights other kinds of oppression that they are
subjected to at different levels”.
One domain of applied linguistics
Cameron (1995:15-16) has also pointed
that might be assumed to fall easily into
to the need to develop a view of language
the scope of critical applied linguistics is
and society that goes beyond a view that
work such as language policy and
language reflects society.
planning since it would appear from the
outset to operate with a political view of Critical applied linguistics would
language. Yet, as suggested in the need to incorporate views of language,
previous section, it is not enough merely society, and power that are capable of
to draw connections between language dealing with questions of access, power,
and the social world; a critical approach disparity, and difference and that see
to social relations is also required. There language as playing a crucial role in the
is nothing inherently critical about construction of difference.
language policy. Indeed, part of the Two significant domains of
problem, has been precisely the way in sociolinguistics that have developed
which language policy has been broad critical analysis are first work on
uncritically developed and implemented. language and gender and second work
While maintaining a “veneer of scientific on language rights. Questions about the
objectivity,” language planning has dominance of certain languages over
tended to avoid directly addressing large others have been raised by Phillipson
social and political matters within which (1992) through his notion of (English)
language change, use and development, linguistic imperialism and his argument
and indeed language planning itself are that English has been spread for
embedded. economic and political purposes, and
More generally, socioliguistics has poses a major threat to other languages.
been severely critiqued by critical social The other side of this argument has
theorists for its use of a static, liberal been taken up through arguments for
view of society and thus its inability to language rights. We are still living with
deal with questions of social justice.. As linguistic wrongs that are a product of
Mey (1985: 342) suggests, by avoiding the belief in the normality
questions of social inequality in class monolingualism and the dangers of
A view of praxis
Critical approaches to
Ways of being critical translation
Critical theory
Critical approaches to
Language Testing
Problematizing givens
Self-reflexivity
Critical approaches to
Language planning and
Language rights.
Critical approaches to
Preferred futures Language, literacy and
workplace settings
Heterosis
1. Cameron, D., Demythologizing sociolinguistics: Why language does not reflect society, InJ.
Joseph & T. Taylor (Eds.), Ideologies of language, London: Routledge, 1990, pp.79-96.
2. Corder, S P., Introducing Applied Linguistics, Harmonsworth: Penguin, 1973.
3. Corder, S P., Error Analysis and Interlanguage, Oxford: OUP, 1981.
4. Corder, S., Introducing applied linguistics, Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1973.
5. Dean, M., Critical and effective histories: Foucault's methods and historical sociology,
London: Routledge, 1994.
6. de Beaugrande, R., Theory and practice in applied linguisticS: Disconnection, conflict or
dialectic? Applied Linguistics, 18, 1997, p.279-313.
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chÝnh sau:
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