Languages for specific academic purposes or languages for general academic purposes? A critical reappraisal of a key issue for language provision in higher education

The debate about the subject specificity of university language tuition has been going on for decades; it has mostly been discussed in the context of English for Academic Purposes. This paper considers the case for disciplinary specificity with regard to languages other than English. Few, if any, de...

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Published in:Language learning in higher education (Berlin, Germany) Germany), 2013-10, Vol.3 (1), p.43-60
Main Author: Krekeler, Christian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic Language
Content Area Reading
Content Area Writing
Course Content
course design
Course Organization
Distinctive Features (Language)
English for Special Purposes
German
Higher Education
Language Acquisition
Language of Instruction
Language Planning
Language Skills
Language Teachers
languages for academic purposes
Languages for specific purposes
Literary Genres
Needs Assessment
Teacher Characteristics
Teaching Methods
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Summary:The debate about the subject specificity of university language tuition has been going on for decades; it has mostly been discussed in the context of English for Academic Purposes. This paper considers the case for disciplinary specificity with regard to languages other than English. Few, if any, developed curricula, syllabuses, suitable textbooks or other teaching materials are available for other languages. When designing such a Language for Specific Academic Purposes (LSAP) course, university language teachers often have to start from scratch. The task is particularly challenging for university language teachers who are not specialists in the subject discipline. This paper reviews the debate and also undertakes a critical reappraisal of the key points. The main argument against subject specificity is based on the assumption that there is a common core of language features used in a range of academic contexts and that it is useful and indeed sufficient to familiarize students with these. The second argument concerns the feasibility of LSAP teaching whereas the third and final argument revolves around the question whether university language teachers are sufficiently qualified to teach LSAP courses. In the second part of the paper, the focus is on the steps involved in LSAP course design, using the example of a course. The paper concludes that non-specialist university language teachers need a pioneering spirit to teach LSAP courses in a non-English context – and time.
ISSN:2191-611X
2191-6128
DOI:10.1515/cercles-2013-0003