Those who labor in the field of applied linguistics have long held the belief that what we do is to apply linguistic theory, knowledge, and research to the everyday needs of life, but particularly to various educational concerns. This puts us at a disadvantage of sorts, because it implies that others, the theoreticians in particular, do the thinking, and that all we do is apply their thinking to specific situations. A second disadvantage is that the theoreticians often develop their theories outside of the real problems that applied linguists face daily and, therefore, when we try to apply their knowledge to our problems, the theories do not always fit. The first disadvantage, that we are seen as simply applying theory developed by others, leads to serious social consequences for applied linguists, who often have only second-class citizenship in the field and become regarded more as mechanics than as scientists. The second disadvantage, that previously developed theories do not apply to the problems we face, is serious in a different way. Although both disadvantages are addressed in this paper, the primary focus will be on the second one, for if applied linguists succeed here, the first disadvantage will be easily removed.