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Language Teaching Science

Language Teaching Science—more correctly Language Teaching and -Learning Science—is the area of research on teaching and learning languages. It is, as it were, a combin­ation of SLA research and FLE/FLT science. This research area belongs to the scientific discipline of Applied Linguistics. Translatology or Translation Studies, i.e. (the art of) trans­lation and interpret­ing, is another area of Applied Linguistics.

The Department of Language Teaching Science at Bochum University ceazed to exist as of September 2016.
 

University Language Centre (ZFA)

The University Language Centre offers language courses, both specific and general, making application of the scientific data provided by LTS research. To go to the ZFA homepage, please click here.

Applied Linguistics

Applied Linguistics (AL) is often perceived as a scientific discipline made up of Language Teachings Science/Language Acquisition Research and Translatology. Granted, these really are the most prominent areas of Applied Linguistics.

This definition, however, is not entirely correct, as AL encom­passes many more subdisciplines, such as e.g. forensic linguistics, lexico­graphy, and languages for special purposes (LSP). AL is also more than just the practical application of the findings of formal linguistics. It is true that AL does make use of the findings of basic research in the field of formal linguistics, as for instance out of text linguistics or phonetics and phonology. As Applied Linguistics concerns itself with language-related problems, though, that cannot be solved solely on the basis of insight gained in the field of formal (or theoretical) linguistics, it occasionally has to go beyond the current state of research in Linguistics and, making use of new methods and concepts—and frequently also taking recourse to other scientific disciplines—, conduct its own research.

Martin G. Kantus