British Association for Applied Linguistics

The British Association for Applied Linguistics (BAAL) is an academic society for professional applied linguists, language teachers and other interested parties, based in the United Kingdom. It organises regular meetings of its 800-plus members at various venues in the UK, publishes conference proceedings, issues a regular newsletter and awards student scholarships. Its current Chair is Susan Hunston, Professor of English language at the University of Birmingham.

BAAL's Annual Meeting is held every September in the UK; in 2008, for example, the Association is set to convene at Swansea University. Representatives also attend international conferences, and BAAL is affiliated with the Association Internationale de Linguistique Appliquee (International Association of Applied Linguistics, AILA). In the UK, it is a registered charity. Meetings usually have a theme; for example, the 40th conference at the University of Edinburgh focused on 'Technology, Ideology and Practice in Applied Linguistics'.

The Association is regularly consulted over linguistic issues and language teaching in the UK, but has stopped short of active political lobbying; it remains a primarily academic institution, despite occasional forays into campaigning.

The association first convened in the 1960s, as interest increased in the new science of modern linguistics and particularly in its practical application - for example, in language teaching and learning. A group of theoretical linguists, educators and other professionals using language "as a tool" would establish much-need cross-disciplinary contacts; also, deepening European integration at the time meant that there was a need for high-quality language teaching across the continent.

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