Özet:

This paper brings to attention a variety of difficulties in the teaching of English for academic purposes (EAP) in tertiary education. It indicates the growing recognition that students learning English as a means of access to advanced knowledge in the various disciplines at the University of Petra (UOP) in Jordan have highly specific language requirements. But equally, the paper reflects the sense of concern felt by language and special-subject teachers at the sheer scale of the problem now posed by students requiring specialist language help. Parallel with this is the increase in the variety and degree of language difficulties which they experience. The paper also provides an overview of students’ language difficulties investigated in previous and current research conducted by the researcher, to show how the constituents of an appropriately designed syllabus might ease some of the difficulties encountered. Hence, the proposal is for a general pattern for EAP syllabus design which on the one hand will ensure unity by teaching the skills and language that are common components of English for General Academic Purposes (EGAP), and on the other hand allow for diversity by teaching some prime linguistic and discourse features that are specific components of English for Special Academic Purposes (ESAP) which must be taken into account in the teaching of EAP to native Arab literates.

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