Soveltava kielitiede tieteen vaikuttavuusvaatimuksen näkökulmasta

This article critically examines the notion of applied linguistics in relation to the growing demand for demonstrating the societal impact of research. While established frameworks exist for assessing scientific impact within the academic community, societal impact remains a far less defined and often immeasurable concept. Applied linguistics, by its very nature, is closely tied to societal relevance, yet the field has not always explicitly recognized this connection. Moreover, it is not self-evident
that all language-related research with social significance neatly fits within traditional definitions of applied linguistics. To address these issues, the article reviews existing definitions of societal impact (as formulated by the Research Council of Finland and the Horizon Programme) and applied linguistics (as articulated by AILA and AFinLA). The authors further propose their own perspectives on the forms and channels of impact, as well as on the broader significance of linguistics for both
society and individual citizens.