LINGUISTIC ASPECTS OF EMI EDUCATOR TRAINING INSIGHTS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF KRAGUJEVAC

Сажетак

Unlike Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), where a certain degree of educators’ familiarity with linguistics may be expected, an EMI environment typically does not involve explicit knowledge of linguistic phenomena. However, educators in EMI classrooms frequently face doubts about their language proficiency in English, often disproportionately focusing on linguistic performance rather than the content and delivery of the lecture. Since it can arguably be claimed that a vast majority of academic publications related to EMI focus on pedagogical aspects, a need to consider the role of linguistics in EMI teacher training is due. Hence, this paper addresses the scope, method, and need of explicit linguistic instruction following the elaboration of classroom discussion data from teacher-training lectures of NNES educators from the University of Kragujevac in the period of 2020-2024. The presented insights underscore the significance of incorporating a pragmatic and context-sensitive approach to EMI training, balancing linguistic accuracy with communicative clarity and intercultural awareness.