lecture 1 Flashcards
(15 cards)
What does LSP stand for, and how is it defined?
Languages for Specific or Special Purposes; a natural language used in a specific technical or disciplinary field for functional or operational purposes within a professional setting.
Which language dominates both practical usage and theoretical studies in LSP?
English—most LSP research refers to ESP (English for Specific Purposes).
According to Hutchinson & Waters (1987), what is ESP?
An approach to language teaching where all decisions on content and method are based on the learner’s reason for learning.
What are Strevens’s (1988) three key features of ESP?
Meets specific learner needs, uses methodology and activities from the target discipline, and focuses on relevant grammar, lexis, and register.
Name the “absolute characteristics” of ESP according to Dudley-Evans & St John (1998).
ESP is needs-based, uses field-specific methodology, and focuses on teaching relevant language.
What are the “variable characteristics” of ESP as per Dudley-Evans & St John?
ESP may focus on one skill, is not tied to a single teaching method, and can be taught in ESL or EFL contexts.
How does Anthony (1997) define ESP?
The teaching of English for a clearly utilitarian purpose.
What is the major defining feature of an LSP or specialized language?
Purpose, defined by a professional community within a specific domain.
Distinguish “genre” from “register”.
Genre is a conventional communicative form with a shared purpose (e.g., academic paper); register is language variation based on context (field, tenor, mode).
Give Swales’s (1990) definition of “genre”.
A class of communicative events with shared communicative purposes.
What three global-historical factors fueled the rise of Specialized English in the late 20th century?
Expansion of international scientific, technical, and economic activity; U.S. economic power; oil crises of the 1970s.
What is the outstanding feature of specialized languages?
Lexicon, though syntax and textual structures also show some variation.
From which languages do many specialized English terms originate?
Greek and Latin roots, and borrowings from European languages like French, German, and Swedish.
Why are non-members excluded in LSP communication?
Why are non-members excluded in LSP communication?
Provide an example of a specialized English genre and its register.
A legal case brief (genre) in formal academic/legal language (register).
