Are All Teachers Language Teachers? Voices From University EMI Educators Across Academic Disciplines

English-medium instruction (EMI) is a burgeoning field that has received much attention. Yet, one area demanding further investigation is the relationship between language and content in EMI. Building on Airey’s (2011, 2020) concept of disciplinary literacy and Chang’s (2022) language-content model, in this paper we examine how EMI educators conceptualize the role of language in constructing and communicating knowledge. Methodologically, we conducted in-depth interviews with twelve award-winning EMI educators across academic disciplines over one year. We also gathered data from their course syllabi. The findings show that the educators see language primarily as a medium, and consistently prioritize content over language. In particular, the educators draw the boundaries of their disciplinary communities differently; what they aim to do in their instruction is to socialize students into diverse disciplinary communities, not necessarily to advance their literacy in English or any single medium. While we agree that raising students’ awareness to the multilayered nature of such communities is important, we argue that the social justice dimension of education could be better achieved if students are shown in sustained ways how to analyze, question, and participate in meaning-making, as well as critically reflect on when certain mediums are chosen over others and why.