ESP / ASP in the Domains of Science and Law in a French Higher Education Context: Preliminary Reflections

Résumé En

In a globalised world, the issue of language is of paramount importance. Teaching and learning foreign languages has become a social, institutional and professional challenge for the French education system.One consequence of the predominance of English has been to promote its teaching in higher education, so much so that French universities are gradually teaching other subjects through English to students whose language skills do not necessarily match the standards required for such curricula, and by lecturers who are not specialised in English. Against that backdrop, this article addresses what research about “Anglais de spécialité” (ASP) is in the current, institutional context of the ever-developing French “ASP” sector, with a particular focus on English for science and English for law, and hopes to encourage similar studies across Europe. Exploring the epistemological dimension of research in didactics and ASP is essential in order to assess what stage of development it has reached, what directions it is likely to take in France and in Europe, and how a reflection on education and programmes of ASP could be implemented in higher education in different countries. But the present contribution paves the way for a pragmatic approach, since it aims to bring an institutional solution to the debate that has agitated the French academic world for the past decades.