A genre-based study of tourism language in English textbooks

Abstract

English language textbooks often include the topic of travel and tourism and are the first encounter with tourism language for many English language learners. A clear understanding of the tourism language that is currently presented and taught in general English textbooks would allow better preparation for the increasing importance of tourism language in English. In the present study, an Eng-lish for Specific Purposes (ESP) genre-based perspective was employed to analyze tourism language in textbooks: their rhetorical structures, called moves, as well as their linguistic features. We surveyed 42 textbooks, or course books, with different skill focuses for a range of learner proficiency levels. To code moves, reference was made to the frameworks provided in the previous tourism genre studies. The research revealed the tourism genres included in the textbooks, and the move structure and linguistic features of frequently observed tourism genres (i.e., tourism brochures and guided tours). The study found moves and linguistic features across different tourism genres and suggests relationships among genres, associated tasks, and the target learner proficiency. Based on characteristics of the tourism English that students learn through their textbooks, pedagogical implications for tourism English are also discussed.