Taking a functional language analysis perspective in designing EFL history-based lessons: from theory to practice

Abstract

Functional language analysis, an approach to reading which recommends conducting language-based analyses of text, may constitute a solution to the problem of teaching comprehending content area texts. The authors of the concept highlight that in order to read complex and specialized texts, such as history-related reading refaerence materials, one needs to approach texts in an analytical manner, decode them sentence by sentence with an understanding of the roles and functions of particular words (Fang and Schleppegrell, 2008). Hence, recognizing the importance of language structures and functions present in discipline-specific documents, engaging with texts actively and viewing them critically is urgently important for comprehending content-area texts and building disciplinary knowledge.