Language acquisition research and language pedagogy often appear to be like two recluse woodsmen, often crossing paths but stubbornly refusing to acknowledge their common ground. Despite the fact that modern language education and language teacher training programs are well grounded in acquisition research, the fact remains that language classes, their textbooks, and review grammars tend to be slow in accepting such research findings. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to show that the application of cognitive linguistics to language acquisition and instruction offers an intriguing venue for bridging the gap between these estranged disciplines. The article has three parts. First, it discusses the theoretical underpinnings of teaching foreign languages from the point of view of cognitive linguistics. Second, it provides an up-to-date account of recent research findings on applied cognitive linguistics. Third, it sketches out the major aspects of an innovative approach to a concept-based animated grammar of German which sets out to apply a broad range of cognitive principles to foreign language learning in such areas as syntax, passive voice, case markings, and modals. This approach also takes into account cognitive aspects of multimedia learning as well as aspects of language-specific and cross-cultural mapping