Language For Specific Purposes Research Articles

The content of teaching law students to compile international legal documents during the integrated course

Importance. The integrated approach (subject-language integrated learning) creates methodological conditions for the formation of students in non-linguistic areas of training within the framework of an integrated course of two types of competencies simultaneously: foreign language communicative competence and professional competencies. The content of teaching foreign-language oral and written speech to law students is traditionally focused on Russian legislation. At the same time, graduates of the state legal profile in the course of their professional activities face the need to compile international legal documents. However, the selection of the content of teaching law students to compile international legal documents during the integrated course in a professional foreign language is not the subject of a separate study. In this regard, the purpose of the study is to select the content of teaching law students to compile international legal documents.Research Methods. The research is conducted on the basis of studying and summarizing materials of methodological works on the use of a foreign language for special purposes and subject-language integrated learning in teaching students of the field of Law, published in scientific journals of the Higher Attestation Commission of the Russian Federation’s list (K1, K2), as well as other scientific sources: monographs and textbooks on legal English.Results and Discussion. The content of teaching law students to compile international legal documents has been developed, including: a) claims and complaints to international organizations; b) bilateral agreements between two states; c) cooperation agreements between a state body of the Russian Federation and a state body of a foreign state; d) statements of claim, claims and petitions in protecting the interests of an organization (or public legal entities) in foreign courts; e) agreements on cooperation between domestic and foreign legal entities; f) purchase and sale and lease agreements with non-residents of foreign countries; g) import contracts.Conclusions. The relevance of the research lies in the content selection of teaching law students to compile international legal documents. The results obtained can be used in the development of curricula and educational materials for an integrated course for law students.

Manipulative Potential of Humor in Business Media Discourse: Drawing up a “Starter Pack” for LSP Teaching

The article investigates the manipulative potential of humor in business media discourse and its application in Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) teaching. Recognizing humor as a tool for simplifying complex ideas and engaging a broad audience, the study aims to identify the functional-stylistic means through which humor is conveyed in business media, focusing on its capacity to influence audience perceptions and attitudes. Employing continuous sampling along with descriptive, comparative, and discursive methods, the research analyzes utterances from Russian- and English-language business media to explore humor’s various functions – such as persuasion, focus-setting, and entertainment – and how these can be harnessed to facilitate linguistic manipulation. The findings reveal that humor, through rhetorical devices like metaphors, idioms, understatement, allusion, sarcasm, and oxymoron, plays a key role in making business concepts accessible and engaging. A “starter pack” of tools is identified for LSP education, equipping students to recognize and utilize humor’s manipulative power in professional contexts. This toolkit aims to prepare future business communicators to craft and recognize humorous statements. Implications for LSP educators, students, and business communication professionals are significant, advocating for an integrated approach in curricula that balances the creative and manipulative implementation of humor. This prepares students for global business communication, emphasizing humor’s strategic importance in effective leadership.

From mock interviews to real job interviews: Assessing the efficacy of business Chinese instruction

AbstractThe study investigates whether and how mock interviews, an instructional component of business Chinese courses, prepare students for real interviews. The study included 11 American undergraduate students who participated in a 10‐week summer study abroad program in China. Participants underwent two rounds of mock interviews with their instructors and received individualized written feedback after each interview. They were then interviewed by hiring managers from the companies of their choice. The results of the study showed that the feedback provided by instructors addressed various performance issues, with a focus on linguistic accuracy rather than interview content. Comparison of the mock interviews with real job interviews showed significant differences in interview content, including workplace‐related interactions, language functions, and free chatting. The findings have implications for teaching and research in language for specific purposes.

PECULIARITIES OF TEACHING COLORONYMS AT DIFFERENT LEVELS OF STUDYING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

The article is devoted to the peculiarities of teaching coloronyms at different levels of foreign language learning in institutions of higher education. The article notes that color is an important element of nature that affects the result of a person’s perception of the external world. An interpretation of the color terms at the modern stage is provided. The definition of the term “coloronym” is given separately and it is stated that this definition is the most appropriate for conveying the emotional and mental state of a person, his character traits, social and cultural aspects of life. Three groups of coloronyms are studied by meaning: initial, extended and abstract meaning. The article indicates that most color adjectives are represented by nouns that mean food, materials, plants, animals, birds, and natural phenomena. It is noted that learning color vocabulary is not only about recognition; it’s a fun way to learn a language that offers opportunities to practice grammar, expand vocabulary and have meaningful conversations. Particular attention is paid to the peculiarities of learning coloronyms for students with different levels of knowledge of a foreign language. It suggests that students should be introduced to the pronunciation and spelling of the primary colors at an early stage and use visual materials such as color cards, real objects or even presentations to effectively associate the colors with their names. When working with intermediate students, it is necessary to expand their language skills while delving into the subtleties of color perception. At this stage of learning, it necessary to develop roleplaying scenarios that require students to solve problems related to color. At the advanced level students already have a good understanding of color vocabulary and can explore complex concepts related to color. At this stage, thought-provoking activities and discussions are needed that promote students’ critical thinking. The article indicates that when teaching the vocabulary of colors, the teacher must choose the most effective method according to the goals and take into account the level of language proficiency of the students and the tasks set before the students, especially if they are learning a foreign language for special purposes.

Current Trends in Language for Specific Purposes Research and Their Relevance to Arabic for Specific Purposes (ASP): A Systematic Literature Review

The article aims to shed light on the burgeoning trends of Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) on a global scale and their relevance to Arabic for Specific Purposes (ASP). These trends encompass evolving orientations, novel curriculum developments, and pertinent principles guiding their growth. This contribution addresses the theoretical foundation gap evident in the dearth of Arabic for Specific Purposes (ASP) research on an international level. This study used a systematic literature review (SLR) method to adhere to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol model, with the primary data sources comprising reputable scientific journal articles from the Scopus database. Based on 47 articles, the review reveals that the orientation trends span various domains, including academic, business, medicine, nursing, communication, tourism, politics, professional, religious, and technology. The academic orientation holds the highest percentage at 62%. It also shows a significant disparity between English and Arabic in LSP research trends, with English dominating at 96% compared to a mere 4% for Arabic. Notably, ASP curriculum development is characterised by a diverse array of approaches. Researchers have increasingly integrated other frameworks such as Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), Relevance, Integration, Culture, and Holism (RICH), and Artificial Intelligence (AI). This nuanced approach ensures a comprehensive development of ASP while acknowledging the linguistic richness inherent in Arabic. 

Nauczanie obcych języków specjalistycznych na poziomach podstawowych. Praca z publikacją Truchcikiem z Kopernikiem. Językowe przebieżki po uniwersytecie w grupach chińskich polonistów na studiach I stopnia

Languages for specific purposes (LSP) are taught in two different contexts – for academic and for professional needs. In the first case, they are primarily tools for acquiring and processing knowledge, which is possible by knowing a number of terms. That is why B2 is indicated as the optimal level for starting their acquisition. LSP for professional purposes are primarily intended for effective communication and can be taught independently from general language proficiency. In this paper, the authors describe the findings of a survey in which Chinese students of Polish language and culture were asked to express their opinions on the publication Truchcikiem z Kopernikiem. The analysis aims to show if this book is a suitable tool for training LSP in an academic context. It covers levels from A to C (CEFR) and offers training of language in higher education for academic purposes as well as practical language training in situations typical for everyday life at the university. The respondents, representing A2-B1+ proficiency levels, found the book useful for language learning (70%) and for studying in Poland (92%). At the same time, however, 45% of them considered that the exercises were too difficult (for 50% they were adequate), which was explained by the high complexity of vocabulary. They also expressed their expectations for a higher number of grammar tasks in the book.

Doskonalenie warsztatu metodycznego nauczyciela języka specjalistycznego w kontekście kształcenia nieformalnego. Wyniki badania pilotażowego

The importance of foreign language skills has increased in the labor market in recent years. A 2012 survey in Poland shows that effective communication and language skills are the most important skills sought from job applicants. It is therefore not surprising that private language schools and companies are offering more and more foreign language courses for professional purposes. In the context of thinking about informal learning of a language for specific purposes (LSP), it is worth reflecting on how a LSP teacher is prepared for work. It seems that attending workshops or practical training should be part of the repertoire of enhancing the professional competence of LSP teachers. However, discussions with experienced language teachers reveal that the reality is quite different. Therefore, given the growing demand for specialized language courses, diagnosis and discussion of the difficulties faced by LSP teachers is of academic relevance. The first part of this article presents a pilot study conducted in 2023 among LSP teachers. Following this, the difficulties of teaching professional languages will be presented. The last part refers to the presentation of methods, techniques and forms of work that can improve the methodological repertoire of LSP teachers.

Who’s Really Got the Right Moves? Analyzing Recommendations for Writing American Judicial Opinions

There is little linguistic research on the structure of judicial opinions from a discourse analysis perspective. There are, however, many professional resources about writing judicial opinions. This paper contributes to genre theory and linguistics of languages for specific purposes by proposing a role for professional writing advice. We also construct a typology of macrostructures proposed by professionals and compare them to the move structure of authentic judicial opinions. Our results show that, in terms of large discourse units, professional resources and move analysis seem to converge. Professional resources, however, do not describe the variation that may be observed in authentic documents. In this way, corpora of professional advice may contribute to a deeper understanding of how a discourse community represents its own genres.

USING AN E-LEARNING RESOURCE TO DEVELOP ACADEMIC WRITING SKILLS

The article is devoted to the problem of integrating ICT in the process of foreign language teaching in higher education and offers a step-by-step description of the pedagogical approach for developing academic writing skills of undergraduate students of the Faculty of World Politics at Lomonosov Moscow State University. The teaching a foreign language for special purposes to future specialists in international relations presupposes not only mastering a vast corpus of specialist vocabulary but also the ability to write professional texts of different genres. The article describes the experience of using the MOODLE e-learning platform which optimises the teaching of foreign language writing skills through collaborative learning and student-to-student and teacher-to-student interaction. By describing different stages involved in preparation of students' research report the paper gives practical recommendations on how to organize Internet-based writing activities and use online learning as an additional tool in regular classes. on “Professional Communication in Politics”, specifying a set of tasks and exercises to consolidate writing skills both in-class and self -study hours, using an electronic educational resource MOODLE. The paper concludes that MOODLE platform is an effective resource that offers a powerful set of web-based tools for a flexible array of activities to improve the quality of English language classrooms and enhance students' learning.

Russian Language for Specific Purposes: Business Communication for Bilingual Learners. From General Concepts to Practical Applications

Russian Language for Specific Purposes: Business Communication for Bilingual Learners. From General Concepts to Practical Applications

Readiness and Challenges of Prishtina University Students for ESP Classes

Learning and teaching a language for specific purposes, in our case English language, is quite a new approach at the Public University of Prishtina, which was established only in 1970. Considering this fact, English language teaching in Kosovo has been around ever since. It was initially taught as General English (GE) in the schools of the capital city and later, namely from the 1980s to date throughout the country. Nevertheless, English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is one of the most recent courses that have started to attract the attention of the domestic teaching authorities, mainly at the university level, while it continues to be absent in secondary schools.  Despite this, the reason for the absence of ESP in secondary education relates to the lack of planning, extracurricular teaching materials or specific textbooks. In this paper, we will review the current state of GE at the University of Prishtina by assessing the English language first-term exam results for two groups of students in the first year in the Departments of History and Political Sciences, with the aim of finding out whether they are ready to attend ESP courses in the second semester. Research has taken place amongst male and female students, aged 18-19, who attended the A1 and B2+GE level as per the CEFR requirements. The students who pass the exam may be qualified to attend the ESP classes in the second semester, whereas students who did not should continue with GE classes.

A case-study of using content and language integrated learning methodology in tertiary education course design

This article examines the principles of Content-Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) as a theoretical basis for a course of English for academic purposes and discusses the results of a pilot project based on a combination of CLIL and Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) methodologies. Although the two methodologies share common features, such as the use of authentic materials or emphasis on students’ needs, they differ on their goals, general approach, and required classroom hours. The CLIL approach is based on a balance between content-centered learning and mastering a foreign language through the content, while LSP is a special form of a foreign language instruction that teaches students how to use it in a particular field of knowledge or line of work. A pilot course in English for Special Purposes, described here, was developed to prepare students for further full English-language instruction in some of their major disciplines. Due to the limited number of classroom hours and the focus on mastering primarily the language of specialization, the course mainly applies LSP approach in combination with some CLIL techniques and methods, such as guided reading, text markup, visual support, linguistic support, and multimodal input. The course was run as a pilot project throughout one academic year, weekly in the form of two-hour English classes, and involved two groups of third-year students majoring in International Relations or Regional Studies with 25 participants in each. In a follow-up survey, the students reported increased motivation, better word retention, improved fluency and better listening comprehension.

Further step toward a definition of the core professional development needs of teachers of Languages for Specific Purposes in the European Higher Education Area

Abstract In the attempt to make a further step toward a research-based definition of the core professional development needs of teachers of languages for specific purposes (LSP), this paper aims to upgrade the framework of professional development needs of LSP teachers developed by Bocanegra-Valle and Basturkmen (2019). With this objective in mind, the paper will examine the differences in the professional development needs of LSP teachers in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) based on their experience with LSP teaching in higher education, qualification level, and LSP taught. The results suggest that the core LSP teacher professional development needs are distributed across the categories of course development, knowledge of the target discipline/profession/industry, knowledge of language use in the target discipline/profession/industry, peer collaboration, and professional development opportunities. Efficient LSP teacher professional development could be based on a three-stage model: a general LGP teaching methodology course, followed by a general LSP teaching methodology course, and finally discipline-specific acculturation.

Teaching in the Post-COVID Context. Challenges and Opportunities of Blended Learning

Based on the recent experience of the COVID-19 pandemic, this paper intends to analyze the act of teaching and subsequently learning in today’s post-COVID context, by summarizing positive and negative aspects of online education, as mentioned in various studies and surveys recently conducted worldwide. Furthermore, the paper presents the conclusions of a small survey conducted by the author during the pandemic, among students learning Language for specific purposes (LSP). The purpose of the paper is to corroborate the conclusions of these surveys, in support of the idea that the blended or hybrid approach might be regarded as an adequate solution to the post-COVID education, starting from the definition of blended learning as a mixture of face-to-face activities with online or digital tools.

Teaching Hispanic Culture, Diversity, and Tolerance through Hispanic Dances and Music: Two Approaches for Flamenco & Caribbean Dances

A Sociology Approach: Dance can be a useful tool for teaching students about culture and community. Through the language of Dance and Music (Caribbean Dance), context is given to social facts, which engages and informs students about such social issues as history, Colonialism, social class, gender, race/ethnicity, and social justice. The added bonus of using Dance as a lens is that it involves active, embodied learning (Dewey, English, Mead), making the material more memorable, meaningful, and relevant to the learner. A Communicative Approach (Task-based Learning Activity) \& Language for Specific Purposes: Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) is a derivative of the Communicative Approach (CA) and Second language Acquisition (SLA) studies. Certain types of communicative learning activities can lead to acquisition of language (Abdel Kazeroni, Aquilino Sanchez, Margaret Robertson, Yiqng Lin). When teaching a Hispanic Dance Session using specific Spanish vocabulary of the dance to address certain dance movements (like Flamenco dance), we engage language learners in acquiring Spanish parts of language related to the flamenco dance. We also immerse learners in the culture of flamenco dance, and its rich cultural context, so they can learn about the social context, gender issues, the different meanings of the dance movements, the metaphors, and by extension they will learn about diversity, tolerance, inclusion, and respect for another culture through dance and music (Language for Specific Purposes: Angela N. Gardner, Howard Gardner, Victoria Escaip). A Sociology Approach: Dance can be a useful tool for teaching students about culture and community. Through the language of Dance and Music (Caribbean Dance), context is given to social facts, which engages and informs students about such social issues as history, Colonialism, social class, gender, race/ethnicity, and social justice. The added bonus of using Dance as a lens is that it involves active, embodied learning (Dewey, English, Mead), making the material more memorable, meaningful, and relevant to the learner. A Communicative Approach (Task-based Learning Activity) \& Language for Specific Purposes: Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) is a derivative of the Communicative Approach (CA) and Second language Acquisition (SLA) studies. Certain types of communicative learning activities can lead to acquisition of language (Abdel Kazeroni, Aquilino Sanchez, Margaret Robertson, Yiqng Lin). When teaching a Hispanic Dance Session using specific Spanish vocabulary of the dance to address certain dance movements (like Flamenco dance), we engage language learners in acquiring Spanish parts of language related to the flamenco dance. We also immerse learners in the culture of flamenco dance, and its rich cultural context, so they can learn about the social context, gender issues, the different meanings of the dance movements, the metaphors, and by extension they will learn about diversity, tolerance, inclusion, and respect for another culture through dance and music (Language for Specific Purposes: Angela N. Gardner, Howard Gardner, Victoria Escaip).  

APPLICATION OF ILLUSTRATIVE MATERIALS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING FOR ENGINEERING SPECIALTIES

APPLICATION OF ILLUSTRATIVE MATERIALS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING FOR ENGINEERING SPECIALTIES

Computer Assisted English Language Teaching and The Development of Critical Thinking in The 21st Century: The Case of Multimedia Centres in Yaounde Secondary Schools

For more than two decades technology has transformed society and the world has become a ‘global village’. As such, African in general and Cameroon in particular still leave much to be desired. This situation was exacerbated when Cameroon became a highly indebted country according World Bank rankings. Also, economic crisis plus devaluation of CFA came and worsened the already degrading and limping situation. The government could no longer afford on the purchase of both software and hardware, not to mention capacity building in the field of using technology equipment and its application in teaching and learning English language for special purposes. It is from this backdrop that this paper sets out to examine the degree of preparedness educational sector in the use and usage of technology in English language teaching in higher education. Educational technology is not restricted to individual computer use in this paper, it involves equipment and application such as videoconferencing, digital television (allowing students to interact and manipulate programmes at their own pace), electronic whiteboards, and digital cameras (Jackson, 2008; EDUCATION WEEK, 2007; McCambell,2002; Marshall, 2002). The study used System for Technology Accountability Rigor (STAR) survey data for 2019-2021. A sample of 200 English language teachers and students were randomly collected from the faculty of education in the University of Yaounde 1. The survey is administered on an annual basis by a team of lecturers in the faculty of education. The survey was designed to provide meaningful information about technology integration and capacity building in the faculty of education in the teaching of English language for special purposes. The results proved that both teachers and students are still lacking the appropriate competences in the use and usage of equipment and its rightful application hands-on. Recommendations have been made to the Dean and the Rector on what kind of equipment to invest on and its capacity building of both professors and students on its usage.

Profession-Oriented CLIL Teaching: Language Activities for Geologists

The paper deals with establishing a connection between the labor market and English language teaching for geologists using the CLIL method. This means that the traditional method of learning the language for specific purposes is improved by a more intensive linguistic approach through the 4Cs model (content, cognition, communication, and culture) where academic teaching tries to be intimately connected with real life and the corresponding profession. In achieving that goal, the work offers teaching activities that combine academic and practical knowledge, which are adapted to the current moment and created according to the needs and expectations of users. For the sake of clarity, the paper is divided into the following parts: introduction, the logic of the connection between teaching geology and the labor market, the first part addresses the combination of geology, language skills, and occupations, the second part offers concrete examples of activities and their application in teaching, and finally, the concluding considerations where the importance of autonomous learning as a prerequisite for quality lifelong growth and self-fulfillment is highlighted. Without the ambition to reach the full scope of the described intention in the first year of study, our goal is for students to notice the value and connection between knowledge and the profession so that learning from the first lecture can be meaningful, motivated, and personalized.

Personalizing the Way of Teaching LSP

Introduction. The problem of effective teaching language for special purposes (LSP) to the students of non-linguistic professions has been discussed for a long time and in full details by academicians both in Russia and foreign countries. As the result of multiple and thorough surveys general problems of the given situation have been revealed, the way out being defined as special training/retraining of LSP teachers. But in language education publications it is hardly possible to find the description of the program aiming at the training of the above mentioned teachers. The aim of the article is to present effective approaches to teaching LSP and offer the developed master program “Methods of teaching LSP” as a means to solve the problems mentioned above. Materials and Methods. The research methods used are a combination of analytical review of studies by Russian and foreign researchers and interpretation of the results obtained by interviewing university teachers specializing in teaching foreign languages to students completing Bachelorʼs or Masterʼs degree programs. The survey was conducted to assess the level of readiness of professional educators to design the structure and content of programs for teaching LSP, and actually conduct classes within the specified language-teaching area, 81 teachers being responders. Results. As a result of the undertaken review of theoretical works and analysis of the conducted survey a master program “Methods of teaching LSP” was designed for training graduates who will then teach English or Russian as a foreign language at industry-specific higher schools. The developed program focuses on instructing future LSP educators to work out a personalized educational route adjusted to the level of foreign language skills of a student and their prospective professional activities. Discussion and Conclusion. The master program developed by the authors as well as the content of the subjects suggested as its integral part are expected to become a productive way of training LSP educators who are supposed to acquire a number of special skills and competences described in the article. Distant learning and e-learning technologies are also engaged in the program to facilitate learners’ more efficient independent activities. The master program is seen as one of the means of modernizing LSP teachers’ professional training which meets the long-term needs of the Russian education system.

Do Social Sciences and Humanities Speak the Language for Specific Purposes? A Look at Archaeological Texts


 The unbreakable bond between language and scientific thought has incarnated into a special way of using general language, which we call language for specific purposes. It is thanks to this language that articulation of observations, conceptual and semantic constitution of scientific fields and exchange of new knowledge are possible. Language for specific purposes is not a new system of signs, rather it uses all the linguistic resources contained within general language, from which it is inseparable. Its peculiarity lies in the frequency and the specific ways of using lexicon and morphosyntactic structures, especially the ones which help it approach the ideal of precision and brevity of expression. In the first part of the paper, in addition to the detailed definition of the concept of language for specific purposes, we analyze which language is necessary for scientific purposes, whether or not scientists understand one another and if there are any universal characteristics of language for specific purposes. The second part of the paper is devoted to a smaller study with the goal of questioning some general traits of the language of archeology, performed on a group of abstracts originally written in the Serbian language.