ABSTRACT
Language instruction performs its strategic substance when it is used as a medium for teaching students the communicative domain of the language as well as moral values. In teaching the communicative domain, language instruction is closely related to the rational domain of language. Meanwhile, its emotional domain is related to the moral values represented in literary works. The use of both rational and emotional domains of language in language instructional practices is expected to give a valuable contribution in creating a balance in students’ mental development. Hence, this study discusses the practice of English instruction conducted in senior high schools focusing on the question of whether it serves the integration of the linguistic and literary domains of the language and factors leading to that. The method used was a qualitative-naturalistic approach by analyzing the available textbooks. The study revealed that: 1) the practice of English language instruction conducted in senior high schools, seen from its textbooks, has put its emotional domain aside and is mainly concerned with the rational domain of the language; 2) this phenomenon was caused by the misconception of the communicative function of language as a result of the zeitgeist of this modern era, which tends to propose a rationalism hegemony.
