ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the application of critical genre theory as an important development in genre analysis which can be instrumental in bridging the gap between the academy and the professions. It highlights the important aspect of discursive performance in professional contexts, which, accounts for and, at the same time, explains some of the most significant aspects of construction and interpretation of disciplinary, professional and other institutional actions. One of the main challenges in the teaching and learning of English for Professional Communication has long been the perceived gap between what is taught in the academy in the name of professional communication and what is required and expected by specific professions. Analysis of interdiscursive aspects of professional genres allows one to understand and account for the contributions made by other collaborating participants through the management of discursive space available in specific contexts.
