Apply within, apply without?

This commentary on the field of applied linguistics (AL) focuses on the tensions that exist between theory and practice, on the one hand, and homogeneity and diversity on the other. It is argued that theory and practice need not be seen as separate activities, and that diversity is an inevitable – and desirable – consequence of the interdisciplinary nature of AL. The paper examines the institutional and social context of AL, as an academic entity with its own degree programs and so on, and suggests that its independence must be balanced by an interdependence with many other relevant fields. It notes that the relationship between AL and linguistics is a problematic one, particularly in view of the definitions of science, theory and language that many linguists adopt. It is suggested that these definitions are not immutable. As an example, the author proposes that a ‘paradigm’ need not be seen as Kuhn's ‘closed box’, but can profitably be construed as an open system, or an ecology. Finally, the article comments briefly on the role of the generalist, seen as someone who can find a common language with which to represent the diversity of perspectives and specialized projects which inevitably characterize a healthy AL.