Applied linguistics: chellenges of the 21st century

The article represents some personal considerations on development of applied linguistics in this country for over fifty years. The author notes that the status of applied linguistics hasn’t been clearly defined yet, which might explain some indistinct character of its reference points, issues in revealing directions of development in the fields of scientific research and professional education, and the possibility for revealing its connection with various extra-linguistic types of activity. It is shown that the applied linguistics generates changing in time multidirectional sets of linguistic-and-technological actions. They reflects wide-ranged possibilities of linguistics as a science in cooperating with various scientific and practical ways of human activity, in creating intersubject domains that might correspond with society evolution and its everyday practice. The general regularities and connections of applied linguistics with other branches of linguistics are considered. The author gives his assessment on substantial development of applied linguistics in connection to removability of urgent social tasks and launching new technological and programmed instrumental tools introduced into practice; offers to consider the level of activity and changing specificity of social requirements, while evaluating the status of applied linguistics. It is concluded that the intensity of applied tools and the directions of internal changes of applied linguistics are connected with both public requirements and the development of technological capabilities of society.