Languages for specific academic purposes or languages for general academic purposes? A critical reappraisal of a key issue for language provision in higher education
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Christian Krekeler
Christian Krekeler , PhD., is Professor of German as a Foreign Language at Konstanz University of Applied Sciences (Germany) and director of the Center for International Students. He has published on language teaching (feedback, writing, pronunciation) and language testing.
Abstract
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 German for Accounting 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.
About the author
Christian Krekeler, PhD., is Professor of German as a Foreign Language at Konstanz University of Applied Sciences (Germany) and director of the Center for International Students. He has published on language teaching (feedback, writing, pronunciation) and language testing.
©[2013] by Walter de Gruyter Berlin Boston
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Articles in the same Issue
- Masthead
- Bridging passion and profession: Supporting agency and investment in multilingual university writers
- Understanding the learning experiences of postgraduate Latin American students in a UK context: A narrative approach
- Languages for specific academic purposes or languages for general academic purposes? A critical reappraisal of a key issue for language provision in higher education
- Student writing standards: A descending spiral or a bold new direction?
- “Come and sit here next to me”: Towards a communicative assessment of oral language skills
- Special features of assessment in reading comprehension in a Finnish university language centre
- Can blended learning aid foreign language learning?
- Establishing a Korean language programme in a European Higher Education context: Rationale, curriculum and assessment procedures
- Meeting the needs of students, in-service workers and enterprises in a multilingual and multicultural Europe: A challenge for language centres
- Enhancing professionalism through collaboration between teachers and administrators in University Pedagogy courses
