Though the term "applied linguistics" has traditionally been associated with the scientific study of such areas as TESOL, TEFL, TESL, language teaching and learning, applied linguists do a variety of things: The basic idea is, as the definition implies, to contribute to the real-world issues. Some of the questions that applied linguists ask include:
-How can languages best be learnt and taught?
-What social factors affect language learning?
-How can technology be used to contribute to the effectiveness of language teaching/learning?
-What are the related problems associated with language disorders? How can these be prevented?