Collaboration between applied linguists and professional experts

An interdisciplinary perspective

Authors

  • Maurizio Gotti University of Bergamo

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/japl.31841

Keywords:

applied linguistics, interdisciplinarity, interdiscursivity, international commercial arbitration, professional experts

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to investigate some of the challenges and prospects connected with interdisciplinary cooperation in the analysis of specialised discourse. In the last few decades, the literature on English for Special Purposes has often underlined the importance of this type of collaboration for a better understanding of how practitioners use language to achieve the objectives of their professions. The contribution that the applied linguist can provide may be very relevant, particularly in those cases in which hybridity and interdiscursivity can be detected in the discourses used by professional participants. In this paper, an example of this type of explanation is presented, drawn from the literature and my own direct experience relating to a specific interdisciplinary research project carried out by a joint group of arbitration experts/practitioners and applied linguists. The issues identified show that linguistic explanations can be of great help to disciplinary experts in attaining a more correct interpretation of the texts and practices in which they are commonly involved.

Author Biography

  • Maurizio Gotti, University of Bergamo

    Maurizio Gotti is Professor of English and Director of the Research Centre on Languages for Specific Purposes (CERLIS) at the University of Bergamo. He is Head of the Department of Foreign Languages, Literatures and Cultures. His main research areas are the features and origins of specialised discourse, English syntax and English lexicography. He is a member of the editorial boards of national and international journals, and he edits the Linguistic Insights series for Peter Lang. Address for Correspondence: Dipartimento di Lingue, Letterature e Culture Straniere, Università di Bergamo Piazza Rosate 2, 24129 Bergamo, Italy. Email: [email protected]

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Published

2018-12-31

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Gotti, M. (2018). Collaboration between applied linguists and professional experts: An interdisciplinary perspective. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Professional Practice, 13(1-3), 78-96. https://doi.org/10.1558/japl.31841

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