Tutkimuksellisia siltoja rakentamassa

The 2023 Autumn Symposium of the Finnish Association of Applied Linguistics AFinLA was held at Tampere University on 9–11 November 2023. The theme of the symposium, Building bridges through research, invited applied linguists to explore new kinds of connections between different research methods, data types, theoretical approaches, paradigms, language conceptions and disciplines. The symposium’s organizing committee comprised Marja Kivilehto (chair), Miia Santalahti (secretary), Tuija Kinnunen, Laura Lahti, Taina Pitkänen, Eliisa Pitkäsalo, Maija Surakka, Maija Tervola and Johanna Vaattovaara. The symposium was supported by Tampere University and the publication of the yearbook received financial support from the Federation of Finnish Learned Societies. The invited speakers were Mona Blåsjö (Stockholm University), Mirja Tarnanen (University of Jyväskylä) and Daria Dayter (Tampere University). Mona Blåsjö’s plenary speech explored the interplay between multilingual office work and the use of digital tools. Mirja Tarnanen’s speech focused on applied linguistics scholars’ experiences and perceptions of doing research and collaboration in the interface between disciplines. Daria Dayter approached the symposium theme by highlighting how mixed methods can be used in discourse analysis. This yearbook includes an introductory article and 13 research articles. The articles discuss how to build bridges through research from multiple perspectives and lead the reader to consider how applied linguistics can contribute to new kinds of connections between different research methods, paradigms and disciplines. The introductory article and the research articles in the yearbook have been peer-reviewed.