Editorial: Future Perspectives and Challenges of ESP/EAP. In Honor of Helen Basturkmen’s Contribution to ESP/EAP Research

Abstract

Dr. Helen Louise Basturkmen is a leading researcher and a respected academic in Applied Linguistics, particularly in the fields of English for Specific and Academic Purposes (ESP/EAP). During the early 1990s, she worked as a lecturer and teacher educator at Bilkent University (Turkey) and Kuwait University (the Middle East). In 1998 she moved to the University of Auckland (New Zealand), where she has been working in Applied Language Studies and Linguistics since then and is currently an Associate Professor. She has published extensively, supervised students and led a number of research projects. Her books on ESP linguistic descriptions, learning, teaching and course design (Routledge 2006, and Palgrave Macmillan 2010) are today among the most influential titles in ESP-related research and a must-read for both experienced and novice ESP practitioners and researchers. Also, her 4-volume edited collection English for Academic Purposes: Critical Concepts in Linguistics (Routledge, 2015) is a useful resource for delving into those key issues that have impacted the field over the last 35 years. Her recently published book Linguistic Description in English for Academic Purposes (Taylor and Francis – Routledge, 2021) provides a concise overview of the kinds of descriptions of academic English that have resulted from the increased use of English as a lingua franca and research in EAP. This special issue of Language Teaching Research Quarterly is a token of gratitude to Professor Helen Basturkmen for her past and present work in the fields of ESP and EAP and her bibliographical legacy. It contains six articles that were submitted to the journal in.