Referencing phonetics, or the most basic information on how sounds are made in language as the core of language learning in Aitchison's Linguistics (Crystal 2006, 182; Aitchison 2010, 9), it is evident that a language learner ought to first establish the basic fundamentals of the language before investigating the various available applications of their chosen target language. However, once a learner is capable of examining the basic components of their primary or chosen additional languages, Aitchison's six categories of Applied Linguistics, Psycholinguistics, Computational Linguistics, Stylistics, Philosophical Linguistics, Anthropological Linguistics, and Sociolinguistics (Aitchison 2010, 9) become highly salient in one's language advancement. I believe that investigating Applied Linguistics as a precursor to further language acquisition (Ibid 9) is highly advisable. If one is able to achieve a broader conception of how human communication functions as a whole, especially concerning the commonalities and differences between various languages and dialects, then they will advantage themselves through gaining the skill for the early recognition of language structure and tendencies when first exposing themselves to another new language. Moreover, I think that sociolinguistics and anthropological linguistics (Ibid, 9) are highly complementary of one another. Discovering information concerning the social functions and history of a chosen language, as well as the cultural implications and expectations of certain phrases, in the context of human development can allow for a substantially augmented immersion experience. The sole area that I am highly skeptical concerning its versatility in connection to the aforementioned sects of linguistics is Computational Linguistics (Ibid, 9). Mainly, I do not believe the highly specialized code necessary to produce the desired outcomes in technology has adequate transferability to spoken interaction between humans. It is important to note that I have no experience with coding or Computational Linguistics, but witnessing my peers' attempts to write code conveyed a drastically different mode of communication than any language existing among humans.


Sources:

Aitchison, Jean. Aitchison's Linguistics. London: Teach Yourself, 2010.

Crystal, David. How Language Works: How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning, and Languages Live or Die. Harry N. Abrams, 2006.