The best replacement for linguistics is applied linguistics.

The best alternatives to linguistics are rated as following:
★★★★★  applied linguistics
★★★★  language
★★★★  literature
★★  linguistics applied
★★  linguistic anthropology
★  grammar
★  semantics
★  philology
★  linguistics
★  psycholinguistics
★  tesol
★  traditional grammar
★  sociolinguistics
★  language teaching
  anthropology
  macro linguistics
  diachronic linguistics
  formal linguistics
  cognitive science
  botany
  traditional linguistics

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Speaking about linguistics, one probably shouldn't forget about tesol.

Other search terms related to linguistics and their ratings are:
★★★★★ tesol
★★★ accent
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Google Trends

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linguistics
applied linguistics
language