ABSTRACT
Two key questions arise when we are considering approaches and perspectives on teaching discipline-specific vocabulary. These questions are: ‘What is the nature of discipline-specific vocabulary in academic writing?’ and ‘What do teachers need to think about when preparing learners for using discipline-specific vocabulary in their academic writing?’ To respond to these questions, several fields of academic research come into play. One field is vocabulary studies, where researchers consider aspects of vocabulary knowledge needed for writing (see Nation, 2013, for example). Other fields are English for Academic Purposes (EAP), where researchers investigate the needs of learners in academic contexts including aspects of writing for academic purposes in different disciplines, and Corpus Linguistics, where computer-based analysis of texts which EAP learners produce or texts which they read can be analysed. This chapter begins by considering theoretical concerns related to discipline-specific vocabulary, drawing on vocabulary studies. It then moves on to identifying this vocabulary, using Corpus Linguistics methodologies and EAP research. The chapter ends by considering some pedagogical applications of the research to support teachers in their decision-making and preparation for focusing on discipline-specific vocabulary.
