The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) is a private, nonprofit organization founded in 1959 and headquartered in
Washington, DC
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...
. Its mission is to promote language learning and cultural understanding. Its president and chief executive officer is Joel Gómez.
The organization carries out its mission by working in the fields of
bilingual education,
English as a second language, world languages education, language policy, assessment, immigrant and refugee integration, literacy dialect studies; and the education of linguistically and culturally diverse adults and children.
[Peterson, E. 2004. ''Center for Applied Linguistics''. ESL magazine. Chicago: Modern English Publishing. pp. 18–22.] Staff members conduct research, design and develop language assessments and instructional materials, provide technical assistance and professional development, and disseminate information and resources related to language and culture.
History
In the late 1950s, issues of language diversity, interest in language policy, and the emergence of English as a world language created a demand for information about world languages and for expertise in linguistics and language training. In the United States, reactions to the launch of Sputnik and the continuation of the Cold War led to concern about the ability of US schools to train students in mathematics, the sciences, and foreign languages. CAL was created in this environment of increased interest in language issues by
Dr. Charles A. Ferguson, a pioneer in the field of applied linguistics. Through a grant from the
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a $25,000 (about $550,000 in 2023) gift from Edsel Ford. ...
to the
Modern Language Association
The Modern Language Association of America, often referred to as the Modern Language Association (MLA), is widely considered the principal professional association in the United States for scholars of language and literature. The MLA aims to "str ...
, CAL was established in 1959 to serve as a liaison between the academic world of linguistics, and the practical world of language education and language-related concerns.
[Spolsky, B. 1999. ''Research centers''. In: Spolsky, B. (ed.), Concise encyclopedia of educational linguistics. Amsterdam: Elsevier. P. 734-739.][Troike, R. 2008. ''Center for Applied Linguistics, initial focus''. In: Gonzalez, J. (ed.), Encyclopedia of bilingual education. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications. pp. 117–120.] The original mandate of CAL was to improve the teaching of English around the world; encourage the teaching and learning of less commonly taught languages; contribute new knowledge to the field by conducting language research to resolve social and educational problems; and serve as a clearinghouse for information collection, analysis, and dissemination and as a coordinating agency to bring together scholars and practitioners involved in language-related issues.
Current activities
Since its inception, CAL has played a leading role in conducting research on language use, language learning, and effective teaching methods, and translating research into practical applications to help language learners succeed.
[Christian, D. 2008. ''Center for Applied Linguistics, recent focus''. In: Gonzalez, J. (ed.), Encyclopedia of bilingual education. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications. pp. 120–123.][Berns, M. & Matsuda, P. K. 2010. ''Applied linguistics''. In: Berns, M. (ed.), Concise encyclopedia of applied linguistics. Amsterdam: Elsevier. p. 9.] Among the populations that CAL serves are language educators of children and adults who are learning foreign languages and English as a second language; immigrants and refugees in the United States and the agencies that provide services for them; schools, school districts, and other educational institutions in need of curriculum development, professional development, and assessments; and policy makers who need information about language and culture to address the important issues of the day.
See also
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Applied linguistics
Applied linguistics is an interdisciplinary field which identifies, investigates, and offers solutions to language-related real-life problems. Some of the academic fields related to applied linguistics are education, psychology, Communication stu ...
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English as a foreign or second language
English as a second or foreign language refers to the use of English by individuals whose native language is different, commonly among students learning to speak and write English. Variably known as English as a foreign language (EFL), Engli ...
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Foreign language education
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Language assessment
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Language education
Language education refers to the processes and practices of teaching a second language, second or foreign language. Its study reflects interdisciplinarity, interdisciplinary approaches, usually including some applied linguistics. There are f ...
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Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...
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Multilingualism
Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. When the languages are just two, it is usually called bilingualism. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolin ...
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Second language acquisition
Second-language acquisition (SLA), sometimes called second-language learning—otherwise referred to as L2 (language 2) acquisition, is the process of learning a language other than one's native language (L1). SLA research examines how learners ...
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TOEFL
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL ) is a standardized test to measure the English language ability of non-native speakers wishing to enroll in English-speaking universities. The test is accepted by more than 11,000 universities an ...
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World languages
References
External links
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{{Authority control
Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C.
Organizations established in 1959
Applied linguistics
Linguistics organizations