Well kiddo, have you ever learned a new language in school or at home? Linguistics is all about understanding how languages work and how people use them. But critical applied linguistics is a special type of linguistics that looks at the ways language can shape our thinking and actions, and how it can reflect and reinforce power dynamics in society.
Let me give you an example. Have you ever noticed that some people get made fun of because of the way they speak? Or how some languages are considered "better" or "more important" than others? Critical applied linguistics would examine these kinds of issues and try to understand why they exist and how they can influence our lives.
This type of linguistics is all about questioning the status quo and looking at how language can be used to create positive change. It might look at how language can be used in social justice movements, or how we can better support language diversity in our communities.
So basically, critical applied linguistics is all about using language to make the world a better, fairer place. Cool, huh?