ABSTRACT
Writers of Applied Linguistics texts, like other writers of academic English, need to express what they mean very precisely. In the case of nouns, it is very unusual for one noun to express a precise enough meaning on its own: the noun language has a general meaning which may not be specific enough to say what the writer wants to mean. Similarly, many of the things which writers talk about are too complicated to be expressed by a single word. The meaning of learning a language cannot be expressed in a single word, neither can teaching and learning a language. It is easier to understand Applied Linguistics writing if you understand how writers combine nouns with other words to make precise meanings. Look at the following:
• second language • second language acquisition • second language acquisition research • second language acquisition research and task-based instruction.
