Lingwistyka stosowana a nauczanie języka polskiego jako obcego

In his analysis of the achievements of applied linguistics in Poland, the author draws on Grucza's (2007) work Lingwistyka stosowana. Historia – Zadania – Osiagniecia (Applied Linguistics: History, Tasks and Achievements). The author also makes reference to the French school of linguistique appliquée, since the establishment of the Applied Linguistics Unit for the Teaching of Polish as a Foreign Language at the Jagiellonian University in 1980 was guided by both these traditions. The processes of building the Unit's academic team and establishing a program in teaching Polish as a foreign language for Polish students in 2005 are also presented. The article then concentrates on the description of research projects such as the development of curricula for teaching Polish as a foreign language (1992), creation of a certification system for Polish as a foreign language (1999-2003), and, finally, work aimed at the allignment of this system with the standards of the Association of Language Testers in Europe (2002-2004). This is followed by a synthesis of the Department's achievements in teaching materials development (1984-2009) and organisation of Polish language courses for foreign students (1980-2009). The article concludes with remarks on the recent restructuring and transformation of the Unit into Department of Polish as a Foreign Language