Scholarship and Teaching on Languages for Specific Purposes ed. by Lourdes Sánchez-López (review)

Scholarship and Teaching on Languages for Specific Purposes presents eleven scholarly articles that seek to illuminate the emerging field of Languages for Specific Purposes (LSP). This edited volume collects contributions to the First International Symposium on Languages for Specific Purposes (University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2012). These articles give unique perspectives on LSP and hope to inspire further discussions on the topic. This volume aims to establish the need for LSP instruction, inform the language-teaching community about LSP, and to illustrate practices that have been utilized to implement LSP principles.

The authors present the material in six sections. The introduction clearly guides readers through the scope of the volume, describes the history of LSP, and briefly discusses the sections in which the articles will be presented. Section two, entitled “On LSP Theoretical Models,” features “Continuing Theoretical Cartography in the LSP Era.” In this article, Michael S. Doyle discusses the need for creating an adaptable LSP theoretical model that will be able to be used for a long time, insisting that LSP will be the future of L2 teaching. The author succeeds in laying the theoretical base for the volume and instilling the need for ongoing work in LSP theory and method. Section three, “On the Current state of LSP,” is composed solely of “Language for Specific Purposes Job Announcements from the Modern Language Association Job List: A Multiyear Analysis,” which shows that LSP experience is becoming a common request in higher education job postings, as many institutions move away from literature-designed courses and move towards language instruction that is relevant for real-life purposes, such as military, education or other vocations.

The articles presented in section four, “On LSP Program and Practices,” succeed in highlighting how an LSP program could be implemented by discussing current programs. “Spanish for the Professions: Program Design and Assessment” discusses ways in which one LSP program designs and measures learner outcomes. “The Spanish for Specific Purposes Certificate (SSPC) Program: Meeting the Professional Needs of Students and Community” discusses an undergraduate certificate program at UAB which prepares students for careers in such industries as health care and business, and has been met with great success. By using examples from existing programs, the authors create a guideline for instructors who want to make the move from teaching language for general purposes to LSP.

Section five, “On the Unexpected LSP Participant,” like the previous section, features articles that are of particular interest to language educators and administrators. “The Unexpected Spanish for Specific Purposes Professor: A Tale of Two Institutions,” chronicles one Spanish teacher’s move between a Spanish for General Purposes (SGP) institution and the United States Air Force Academy, a LSP program. In “A Doctoral Student’s Shift from Modified AAVE to Academic English: Evidence for Establishing a Language for Specific Purposes Focus,” one man’s success in learning academic English using LSP principles is presented. This article shows the flexibility of LSP as it illustrates that these practices aren’t just for foreign language classrooms.

The final section, “On Methodology,” features the most diverse collection of articles whose connection is not apparent at first glance. “Teaching Business Chinese: The Importance and Methodology of Building Pragmatic Competence and the Case of Buhaoyist,” while relevant to specialists, seems more appropriate in a text on pragmatics. “Orchestrating a Job Search Clinic for International Scholars and Students” would be ideal for program coordinators of International Programs, but is of less interest to the general public. “Enhancing Language for Specific Purposes through Interactive Peer-to-Peer Oral Techniques” is the most successful article of the section as it is most directly linked to LSP methodology in its explanation of actual LSP activities.

Scholarship and Teaching on Languages for Specific Purposes achieves its goal of informing readers about LSP, highlighting the theoretical framework for this approach, and illustrating its importance in the language...