SPECIALIZED DISCOURSE AND ESP
Specialized discourse is a theory that constitute to the use of language in a specific context. It is the basis of ESP in creating program and module as it focuses on the language and communication process, that is present or in-use of a certain field of profession, setting, or discipline. The objective of ESP is to teach learners how to communicate effectively within their setting. With that, specialized discourse enables teaching of ESP with accurate and realistic communicative scenarios or written samples of a certain setting or context. Nurses' report is a realistic communicative sample. It is an oral or written communication about their patients or medical situations that are shared between people in medical field. Using nurses' report as an authentic example allow the learners to know the guidelines for documentation and its process. Furthermore, specialized discourse has the following features: monoreferential, neutral in tone, precise, transparent, concise, conservative.
To reflect on this topic, I saw the important role of specialized discourse in ESP course. Since, as being said, that ESP is focused on teaching language of specific setting, it is only essential to incorporate how to understand language that is used on a certain field of profession or discipline. Through this, instructors of ESP are able to design instruments and use methods that would effectively teach ESP since they have understood the system of the target language. Additionally, specialized discourse promotes the use of authentic communicative examples which are beneficial to immerse the learners to real deal of learning ESP, and also to make sense of what they are learning since they are able to see where the skills and knowledge that they are learning were being used.
