Socio-pragmatic and cultural aspects of teaching English for academic purposes in Lesotho

Abstract

Teaching English for Academic Purposes, and with that a particular ‘brand’ of academic culture, at an African university, ie in a society with a very different historical and cultural background, involves more than just language teaching. After a brief sketch of the historical and sociolingwstic conditions, EAP is contrasted with African oral performance (orature) as this relates to discursive conventions amongst a community of African students; several socio-pragmatic and linguistic aspects are highlighted; and finally the question of assessment is touched upon.