Integrating approaches to visual data commentary

This paper highlights the need for explicit instruction in visual data commentary within ESP environments, positing its status as a multi-skill and cross-disciplinary practice. It reviews the state of the art in linguistic and didactic research and reports on a preliminary case study conducted at the School of Aeronautical Engineering of Madrid (Universidad Politécnica) which involves samples written by fifty-seven second-year students. Findings reveal: (a) a scarce use of metadiscourse and presentational constructions with the adoption of compensatory tactics, (b) a strong preference for common-core and pre-modified superordinate nouns, and (c) certain collocational interferences with the L1. A final outline of pedagogic directions is provided following the principles of Systemic Functional Grammar and Discourse Analysis.