Republic of the Philippines

Bulacan State University

College of Arts and Letters
Department of English
City of Malolos, Bulacan

Course Code: 223a LM

Course Title: English for Specific Purpose
Course Description:
Bachelor of Arts in Legal Management (BALM) provides legal or paralegal studies is an academic and
professional discipline that is a hybrid between the study of law and management (i.e. business administration,
public administration, etc.)
The course serves as basis knowledge in proper legislative proceedings where the course provides an
understanding of the overview of the Philippine Justice System. It also teaches the students of the course the
essentials of both Public and Business Management which particularly concerns about legal and business.
The course description of the B.A. in Legal Management defines the coverage that the subject English
for Specific Purpose is expected to undertake. Importantly, to understand is that the subject focus is English.
The English subject that will be used for s specific purpose and that is about the legal management.
BALM is a preparatory law program. The program pursues a professional degree in law such as Juris
Doctor (JD) or Bachelor of Laws (Ll.B.) while some profess as paralegal, law clerks, political analyst,
politicians, public administrators, entrepreneurs, business executives, or pursue careers in the academe.

Introduction:
English for Specific Purpose is a branch of Applied Linguistics in general, and of Teaching English as a
Foreign Language (TEFL) in particular. Applied linguistics is an interdisciplinary field which identifies,
investigates, and offers solutions to language-related-life problems. Some of the academic fields related to
applied linguistics are education, psychology, communication research, anthropology, and sociology. The main
concern of linguistics is concerned with increasing the understanding of the role of language in human affairs
and thereby with providing the knowledge necessary for those who are responsible for taking language-related
decisions whether the need arises in the classroom, the workplace, the law court, or the laboratory. The related
activities concern the evaluation of theories and research in different dimensions of the field, the necessary
foundation on allied courses, and the critical analysis of the use of the English language.

Lesson Proper:
The understanding of the law and commerce requires the knowledge of the cognates (Latin cognatus,
from co-+gnatus, natus, past participle of nasci to be born; akin to Latin gignere to beget-more at kin)- the
interpretation of a word with consideration to its origin, nature, relation, derivation, borrowing or descent. For
instance, “English “eat” and German “essen” are cognate; Spanish and French are cognate languages. Roman
and romans are similar in both English and Italian and they have the same meaning. They are true cognates.
Criminal is the English cognate of criminal (Spanish) and Kriminal (German); Penal and penale; tort in English
and Tort in French (wrong, error).

Activity 1: On Cognates
Instructions:
1. Write down all the words and expressions you can think of on the topic of STATE and
GOVERNMENT. Use the semantic map.
2. Continue your list by adding related words? For example, if you have written politics, you could include
politics, you could include political and politician. Show cognates in the map.
3. When you have finished discuss your list in narrative.

Activity 2: Discuss the following terminologies briefly:

1. acuity
2. acumen
3. acuteness
4. apperception
5. appraisal
6. appraisement
7. appreciation
8. apprehension
9. ascertainment
10. assessment
11. astuteness
 12. attention
13. awareness
14. clear perception
15. clear sight
16. cleverness
17. cognition
18. cognizance
19. esoteric
20. espousal
21. espouse
22. espousement
23. escheat
24. eschewment
25. escape notice

Activity 3:
Instruction: Write a narrative introduction of yourself. The information about yourself should include the
following questions:
1. What are the subjects that you already know in English?
2. What do you do now?
3. What kind of school education did you have?
4. What area of law interests you most?
5. What are your plans for the future?

Activity 4:
Instruction: Provide a brief discussion of the following terminologies.
1. The courts
2. A law
3. Legislation
4. Judicial precedent
5. Parliament
6. Rights
7. The constitution
8. A judge
9. Custom
10. A code

Prepared by:

Professor Analiza Acuña-Villacorte, Ph.D.

Professor II