The Integration of Communicative Functional Language into English for Engineering Courses

Abstract

The present paper is intended to offer a brief description of the importance of integrating communicative functional language into the English for engineering courses, due to its relevance to the successful future socialization of students. The first part takes into consideration some aspects related to the design of English for engineering courses based on the needs analysis of the attendees. Students’ attitudes and expectations towards the learning of English as a foreign language are presented based on the questionnaires and discussions with 1st year undergraduates, who study engineering at the University of Craiova. The second part of the paper relates to the importance of integrating functional language in our meetings with engineering students. The fixed and communicative expressions are part of the notional – functional approach of language teaching, an approach focused on the communicative aspect of the language to be taught and learned. The proposed activities give students the chance to become aware of the social rules imposed by various conversational situations and practice their use in an enjoyable setting.