Abstract Summary
This paper aims at contributing to the characterization of specialized professional domains from the perspective of applied linguistics, more specifically ESP research. We deal with the fundamental notions of professions and professional identity, the three functions of specialized domains, as well as the relevance of ethnography as a support discipline for ESP research.
Abstract :
This paper comes within the framework of the characterization of specialized professional domains from the perspective of applied linguistics, more specifically with reference to English for Specific Purposes (ESP) research. It aims at considering how ESP research can help shape our knowledge of professional domains. In order to answer this question, we first deal with the fundamental notions of professions and professional identity. We also take into account the three functions which help to characterize specialized domains as described by Petit (2010: 10) as well as the relevance of ethnography as a support discipline for ESP research, and the valuable insights it affords researchers with regard to the actual nature of professional expertise. In this context we examine the central role of fieldwork in ESP research and introduce a model which seeks to characterize specialized professional domains in the light of ethnographic studies, the purpose of which is key to our discipline, as underlined by Isani (2014).To conclude, we present an application of this research, as represented by our commitment to the European Language for Work network, and contribution to the “Language for Work: Tools for Professional Development” (2016-2019) project, initiated and funded by the European Center for Modern Languages (CELV/ECML) in Graz (Austria). The research work carried out within the network since 2012, with the organization of several seminars and interactive workshops, has foregrounded the issue of the linguistic integration of adult migrants and a wider reflection on the definition of professional language skills.
