Here is a question: what is linguistics applied?
Applied linguistics, language topics magnified
Applied linguistics, what theories are in fashion?
Monitor model, put forth by monsieur Krashen

All about theory? No, it’s all about Method
The latest and best, and yet looking back one could
See that ‘new’ is old- nothing new under the sun
The latest and best, truly they have all been done

With science and art, language has form and motion
Applied linguistics, a political question
Perhaps paradox, teaching language and culture
With science and art; poetry, rhyme and meter

My identity: is it the language I speak?
My identity: I think, therefore do I speak?
‘Tis never simple, and yet with analysis
And ability to ponder in synthesis

Perhaps paradox, what is linguistics applied?
All about Method, language topics magnified
Perhaps paradox, a political question
Applied linguistics, to my culture and nation

This poem is based loosely on Serbo-Croatian epic verse. In the origional, the first section of each line contains four syllables, and the second section contains six. However, with my topic, the length of the words was causing this to not work out well, so I extended the line by two syllables. The first section of each line is five syllables, and the second section is seven. Another important feature of the origional meter is that the last two syllables of each line section must belong to the same word. This feature I have retained. On the other hand, the use of short syllables followed by long marks the ends of lines in Serbo-Croatian epic verse; wheras to an English speaker, rhyme is much more perceptable, so I used rhyme instead. These poems are composed on the spot, as the poets perform spontaneously for hours at a time. One device that aids in this is the use of stock phrases. In my epic linguistics poem, I use several stock phrases.

This term, I had the good fortune to take a class called Rhythm and Meter of the Worlds Languages, a class given through the foreign languages department. Yet it applies very nicely to linguistics, and has played a strong role in both major projects in this Applied Linguistics class. And I really think that Applied linguistics is an analysis and synthesis of many facets of culture, communication (verbal and non-verbal), society, and individual identity- as well as the grammar and lexicon and other aspects of language.