Abstract:

This paper traces the origin, changes and development of the conception of Applied Linguistics from a historical perspective, from the division between macro and micro Applied Linguistics to that between the subfields and supporting disciplines, and finally to the broadening of the scope of applied linguistic research, leading to three different approaches to it developed by G. Brown, H. Widdowson and M.A.K. Halliday. Second Language Acquisition then emerged as its sister discipline.