This book suggests that applied linguistics research is inherently concerned with complexity, emergence and causality, and because of this it also requires a robust social ontology. The book identifies and unpacks a range of conceptual issues in applied linguistics from a social realist perspective, and provides a critique of successionism and interpretivism as two dominant and enduring empiricist tendencies in the field. From this critique, it considers the emergence of complex dynamic system theory as viable yet not entirely unproblematic conceptual sophistication of current applied linguistics research. Although the growing popularity of complex dynamic system theory is undeniable and understandable, this book argues that its integration within a social realist ontology is necessary for further developments in the field. The book will be of interest to applied linguists and social scientists interested in language-related issues including language learning and teaching, language change, language policy and planning, bilingualism/multilingualism, and language and identity.

This book is about dynamical, social-interactional aspects of the emergence of complexity in language, explained by linguists, cognitivists, and modelers.

"This accessible guide to Complex Dynamic Systems Theory (CDST) research presents practical methods and templates for how applied linguistics researchers can design and conduct research using the CDST framework and equips readers with the knowledge to ensure compatibility between empirical research designs and the theoretical tenets of complexity"--

This collection brings together perspectives from emerging and established scholars, working from empirical data from real-life classroom experiences, to investigate pedagogical issues in the application of EMI across a range of educational contexts in Asia. Drawing on research across different levels of education covering institutions across various contexts across Asia, the book engages in key questions around power, marginalization, attitudes, intercultural communication, and identity construction as they unfold in classrooms in which a plurality of languages and varieties of English collide and are mediated, appropriated, and accommodated. The volume explores the pedagogical challenges, policies, and practices of EMI which emerge in these settings, highlighting real-life problems in EMI program development and the wider pedagogical implications for EMI implementation in varied educational environments. Taken together, the chapters offer opportunities for further research toward challenging traditionally held beliefs and blind implementation of EMI and encouraging critical perspectives from both researchers and policymakers alike. Pedagogies of English-Medium Instruction Programs in Asian Universities will be of interest to scholars and practitioners in English-medium instruction, English language teaching, TESOL, and applied linguistics.

This book provides practical guidance on research methods and designs that can be applied to Complex Dynamic Systems Theory (CDST) research. It discusses the contribution of CDST to the field of applied linguistics, examines what this perspective entails for research and introduces practical methods and templates, both qualitative and quantitative, for how applied linguistics researchers can design and conduct research using the CDST framework. Introduced in the book are methods ranging from those in widespread use in social complexity, to more familiar methods in use throughout applied linguistics. All are inherently suited to studying both dynamic change in context and interconnectedness. This accessible introduction to CDST research will equip readers with the knowledge to ensure compatibility between empirical research designs and the theoretical tenets of complexity. It will be of value to researchers working in the areas of applied linguistics, language pedagogy and educational linguistics and to scholars and professionals with an interest in second/foreign language acquisition and complexity theory.

This book offers insights on the study of natural language as a complex adaptive system. It discusses a new way to tackle the problem of language modeling, and provides clues on how the close relation between natural language and some biological structures can be very fruitful for science. The book examines the theoretical framework and then applies its main principles to various areas of linguistics. It discusses applications in language contact, language change, diachronic linguistics, and the potential enhancement of classical approaches to historical linguistics by means of new methodologies used in physics, biology, and agent systems theory. It shows how studying language evolution and change using computational simulations enables to integrate social structures in the evolution of language, and how this can give rise to a new way to approach sociolinguistics. Finally, it explores applications for discourse analysis, semantics and cognition.

Explores a new approach to studying language as a complex adaptive system, illustrating its commonalities across many areas of language research Brings together a team of leading researchers in linguistics, psychology, and complex systems to discuss the groundbreaking significance of this perspective for their work Illustrates its application across a variety of subfields, including languages usage, language evolution, language structure, and first and second language acquisition "What a breath of fresh air! As interesting a collection of papers as you are likely to find on the evolution, learning, and use of language from the point of view of both cognitive underpinnings and communicative functions." Michael Tomasello, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology