Since graduate school, I have seen applied linguistics (AL) treated by too many of my professors and colleagues as the bastard child of “real” linguistics – accused of being too interdisciplinary, too pedagogically oriented, and lacking in an all-encompassing theoretical framework. Sadly, even those practicing AL are sometimes apologetic or defensive about their supposed faults. In some ways, this book represents a coming-out party, a celebration of accomplishments and directions for future research and involvement.

William Grabe introduces the book by providing its rationale and portrays the discipline's strengths and weaknesses. I was troubled, however, by his use of the words “problems and inequalities” to describe the major areas of study. According to Grabe, the goal of the volume was not to provide a comprehensive treatment of every topic, but an overview of the main subfields of AL for which the editors were able to get submissions. This is noted because some chapters were never submitted – a problem most editors face.

Although early research in AL was overwhelmingly focused on second language acquisition (SLA) and pedagogy, AL has grown, and the book's scope reflects that in a limited way. Although the volume still manifests this bias (24 chapters out of 36, excluding the introduction and conclusion, are on these topics), other areas are represented: variationist studies, multilingualism, and language planning. However, coverage of these areas is sometimes quite limited, and other areas of AL are completely missing (e.g., forensic linguistics, artificial intelligence, speech therapy). A quick look at the table of contents reveals the emphasis on SLA.

The book begins with “Research approaches in applied linguistics,” in which Patricia Duff analyzes quantitative versus qualitative approaches to research from both philosophical and practical viewpoints. This is a very useful chapter for those beginning their study of AL. She follows with a portrayal of recent developments and the impact of technology.

“The four skills: Speaking, listening, reading, and writing,” is one of the most fully developed sections. On the acquisition of listening skills, Lynch discusses problems inherent in testing this skill considering how dissimilar real life listening and ESL testing are. Next Grabe outlines the different purposes for reading, including a section on “How reading works” – too brief because Grabe's knowledge of the topic is clearly broad; if this were an introductory text, students would be well served by more exposure to his insights.

Part III, “Discourse analysis,” contains only one contribution, which focuses on the contribution of this subfield to SLA and its effect on teaching. Considering the scope of work being done in this area, a broader sampling should have been provided.

In Part IV, “The study of second language learning,” Alan Juffs shows how formal linguistics has contributed to the study of SLA by laying the theoretical framework for explaining how language works. Juffs focuses on developments in the study of morphosyntax and how the acquisition of SL morphology is guided by constraints. Although this is an intriguing and convincing piece of research, one wonders about its inclusion, since it is one of the few chapters that presents a study rather than a review of the literature and commentary on directions in AL past and present.

In “Sociocultural theory and SLA,” James Lantolf reviews research on SLA as a social process. He discusses the effects of mediation (by group and self) and activity theory, both of which reflect a shift away from psychological and structural frameworks of analysis toward a more sociocultural perspective. “Identity and language learning” by Bonnie Norton and Kelleen Toohey is an excellent chapter to follow Lantolf's in that one aspect of the social process of SLA is the development of an L2 identity. Norton & Toohey are interested, however, in various identities of learners who are “gendered/raced/classed persons with diverse histories and identifications” (p. 116). This diverges from traditional perspectives that viewed learner communities as fairly homogenous. The authors provide a thoughtful analysis of how instruction may be shaped to fit this perspective.

Harrington continues with a review of the literature on L2 sentence processing and an analysis of two quite different approaches. One concentrates solely on syntactic processing in isolation, as a “symbol manipulation process” (127), a process that just seems to repeat itself until a correct meaning is magically achieved, without reference to any semantic processes or to the context of the utterance. The other approach involves constraint-based models of processing that are more holistic, encompassing connections to accessible sources of information, both linguistic and nonlinguistic. The constraint-based approach is more convincing because it allows for differences among individual learners and for the many different contexts and styles of learning.

In “A variationist perspective on second language acquisition,” Dennis Preston extends competence models of L1 variation to L2 learners, noting that they are “managing” their various competences based on the sociocultural contexts in which they find themselves. He provides an astute assessment of how sociolinguistics can contribute to SLA research, and then gives an example of how such research would be carried out.

In chap. 13, Robert Gardner shows how L2 acquisition is connected to identifying with and integrating into another group. Gardner traces the shift in thought from a belief that aptitude and intelligence are the primary contributors to successful L2 acquisition to a greater focus on affective factors. Susan Gass continues by providing an interactionist model as a way of reconciling the often opposing models of innatism and environmental approaches by looking at how various approaches can contribute to a unified theory. Kathleen Bardovi-Harlig deals with the under-researched area of interlanguage pragmatics (IP). She describes how native and nonnative speakers use speech acts in different ways, which results in communication difficulties, and she examines the acquisition of L2 pragmatic competence. She lists the most important questions that drive research and discusses the issues that challenge IP at the beginning levels of acquisition. This is the most coherent and comprehensive of the book's sections.

The following section, “The study of second language teaching,” is far less developed, though independently the chapters are worthwhile reading. In “Curriculum development,” Peter Medgyes and Marianne Nicolov assert that success centers on developing a curriculum that solves the conflict between “what is desirable and what is acceptable and feasible” (195) – in other words, the conflict among practitioners, theorists, and policy makers.

Majorie Wesche and Peter Skehan look at developments in communicative language teaching (CLT), focusing on task- and content-based instruction. They provide a first-rate account of what constitutes CLT, as well as a comprehensive history of the methodologies that preceded CLT and the influences that necessitated a shift from the view that language learning was all about habit forming and the acquisition of structures. They continue with a analysis of what constitutes task-based and content-based language instruction, and how to make the interface between language and content successful for L2 learners. The section finishes with a thought-provoking contribution by Colin Baker, who challenges us to include bilingual education within a comprehensive framework that takes into account not only education but also language planning, politics, and economics. According to Baker, “Bilingual education is also part of manifest and latent national or regional language planning that sometimes seeks to assimilate indigenous and immigrant minorities … bilingual education is a major plank in language revitalization, language reversal, and language activism” (229). This chapter is well worth expanding to a full book.

The following section, “Variation in use and language performance,” includes a chapter by Terence Odlin presenting universalist and relativist approaches to transfer; he asserts that the effect of transfer may not have been given its proper due by theoreticians. Although relativist positions are getting more attention, he believes that it is crucial that research continue on universal features of language. Next, in “Language uses in professional contexts,” Mary McGroarty effectively shows how this is not a minor side issue of AL. She points out that “language use in the workplace is never only about work; it expresses and shapes the social realities experienced by workers and spills over into the understandings about work, life, and people” (273).

Part VII, “Bilingualism and the individual learner,” begins with a philosophical appraisal by Christian Faltis of bilingualism in the school context. She examines the forces that come into play in the success or failure of students, including individual and community views on bilingualism and the roles of administrators and teachers. Then Kees de Bot looks at the language choice of bilinguals. His analysis of code-switching reflects a psycholinguistic orientation; however, the section on language choice provides intriguing links to more sociolinguistic perspectives. Finally, in “The bilingual lexicon,” Judith Kroll and Ton Dijkstra discuss one of the most intriguing issues in bilingualism: how words are stored in the brain. This is a powerful chapter filled with charts, graphs, and explanations that thoroughly cover the issues.

The section on multilingualism comprises several excellent chapters, including a detailed discussion of language spread by Ofelia García. Jeff Siegel's chapter on pidgins and creoles successfully navigates the many difficult issues that trouble creolists. In “Ecology of language,” Peter Mühlhäusler shifts the focus from internal factors affecting language to external ones, stressing that no aspect of language can be thoroughly evaluated in a vacuum. The particulars of each environment differ; thus, one-size-fits-all responses to language revitalization make little sense. This is an excellent overview of how the ecological framework operates, and how, because of its broad scope, it can be applied to many areas of AL.

The focus of Part IX is language policy and planning. “Unplanned language planning” is as intriguing as the title suggests. William Effington effectively illustrates how ignorance of non-institutional activities can limit effectiveness of intentional planning, so they must be recognized and their possible effects addressed. In “Limitations of language policy and planning,” James Tollefson provides a thoughtful examination of why planning has been unsuccessful in practice, and how research is shifting to address the discontent of both scholars and practitioners. Previous research has shown how LP often leads to greater inequity between groups and often has not considered longstanding cultural and legal practices or national ideologies.

“Language assessment and program evaluation” is the one section on SLA that should have been expanded since this is of such significance to practitioners. Geoff Brindley presents a well-constructed chapter outlining the extensive area of assessment. He focuses on defining the elusive quality of ability, measuring learner output, and changing curriculum development. In “Technology in standardized language assessments,” Micheline Chalhoub-Deville describes current computer-based tests (CBT). She assesses the validity issues that challenge CBTs (most are also challenges for paper tests).

“Technological application in applied linguistics” is an excellent choice to follow the essays on assessment. Jill Burstein and Martin Chodorow consider automated essay analyses and their validity. Like the section on assessment, this is “must” reading for practitioners curious about how a machine could “successfully” grade essays.

In the conclusion to the volume, “Where do we go from here?,” Robert Kaplan points out that the diversity of the contributions can indicate two things: that the field of AL really is not an “independent discipline,” or that this is evidence of healthy and critical reflection on the scope of the field. He lists the “commonalities” applied linguists share and supplies a series of questions that provide an excellent framework for continued discussion.

Many of the chapters in this handbook are well worth reading. Nevertheless, because of the disjointed nature of the contributions as a whole, the intended audience is not clear. The volume is inappropriate as an introduction to the field because many of the contributions assume a significant amount of background knowledge. On the other hand, practitioners in the field will often find simply a summary of the past, present, and future trends. There is little consistency between sections nor between chapters within the sections. Some contributions are simple reviews of the literature and others actual research reports. Because of this, and because of the cost, it is likely that this book be used primarily as a library reference book to which professors can send their students for a particular chapter.