English for Academic Purposes: A New Perspective from Multiple Literacies

Abstract

English for Academic Purposes (EAP) has now become a popular term, due to English becoming the global language of academia, the workplace, and higher education. At the same time, EAP has, since its creation, been influenced by the language theories of general language teaching and literacy movements. However, its concepts and approaches can, at times, appear too various for learners and practitioners to identify which course of action to follow, particularly when the inexperienced face a 'jungle of jargon'. EAP researchers have been trying to define EAP, however, they are never in agreement. Therefore, a definition of EAP can prove problematic. This research will extract the commonality of the popular EAP approaches before placing them into a broader context of EAP development, language teaching and literacy history, and the changing history of the educational landscape; it will critically thematize the current EAP theories and aims in order to further examine the nature of EAP as multiple literacies, including academic literacy, disciplinary cultural literacy, critical literacy and digital literacy.