It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of John Swales, a scholar, beloved mentor, and friend. John passed away peacefully on March 18th, 2025. Best known for his groundbreaking work in genre analysis, he leaves behind a legacy of over six decades of work in Applied Linguistics that has shaped how scholars and educators approach discourse analysis, genre studies, and the teaching of second language writing. Looking back on his accomplishments, he often said he “had a good run, but more importantly a good life.”
John’s academic journey followed a rather unconventional path, at least by today’s standards. After earning a degree in Psychology from Queens' College, Cambridge, he taught English in Italy, Sweden, and Libya, before returning to the UK to earn an advanced diploma in Linguistics and English language teaching at the University of Leeds. He then returned to Libya—and would later quip with his signature dry wit that because the coup led by Muammar Gaddafi forced his departure from Libya, he had the revolutionary to thank for his illustrious career. From Libya he moved on to Sudan and then back to the UK, eventually settling at the University of Michigan in 1985 where he spent the majority of his career. As Director of the English Language Institute (ELI), he transformed the ELI into an unparalleled English for Academic Purposes program. While at the ELI he assembled and led the teams that created two groundbreaking corpus linguistics projects, MICASE (The Michigan Corpus of Academic Spoken English) and MICUSP (The Michigan Corpus of Upper Level Student Papers), still used by teachers and scholars around the world. He also served as Professor of Applied Linguistics until his retirement in 2007 and remained an active scholar as Professor Emeritus, submitting his final contribution to the journal English for Specific Purposes in February 2025.
John’s contributions to Applied Linguistics, ESP, and English for Academic Purposes over the past half century have been far-reaching as well as of extraordinary breadth and depth. He authored or co-authored 20 books and around 130 research articles and book chapters. His seminal works include Genre Analysis: English in Academic and Research Settings, Other Floors, Other Voices: A Textography of a Small University Building, Research Genres and Applications, and the widely acclaimed textbook, Academic Writing for Graduate Students. He was a much sought after speaker at conferences around the globe, with well over 300 colloquia, plenaries, and talks to his credit. John was the founding editor of the pioneering English for Specific Purposes collection, ESPMENA (English for Specific Purposes in the Middle East and North Africa) Bulletin (1974-1976) and co-editor of English for Specific Purposes from 1986-1994, becoming Editor Emeritus in 1997. He received honorary doctoral degrees from Uppsala University (2004) and the University of Silesia (2015). Despite his accomplishments, John was a humble scholar, always giving credit to others when it was due and highlighting the excellent work of all scholars, whether newcomers to the field or those who were already well established. He welcomed challenges to his work, especially the infamous “Create-a-Research-Space” (CaRS) model of article introductions, which he would sometimes refer to as that “wretched model” as it tended to overshadow other equally important perspectives on article introductions. With a twinkle in his eye, he would comment on these challenges saying that “Of course it’s mud in the eye for Swales.” But he relished that.
John was a masterful teacher and innovator in bridging the gap between research and pedagogy. He both wrote data-driven materials for teaching academic writing and taught courses on academic writing. He had an exceptional ability to make complex ideas accessible to his writing students; at the same time, he was careful to give students the opportunity to work out for themselves what is going on in a text. This process of discovery and creating insights was central to his teaching.
John was devoted to nurturing the next generation of scholars and instructors. He had a unique way of seeing the strengths in his students and colleagues and where they could be (even if they could not see it themselves), pushing them to take risks so that they could grow professionally. He nudged the generations of instructors, students, and scholars that he mentored to maximize their talents, do what they do best, and follow their intuitions. A walking encyclopedia of knowledge, John would always end his endless encouragement by adding, “You know, there is a very interesting paper on this. I think you will find it in … journal or book”. And sure enough, there it was, exactly where he said it would be. He was giving of his time and expertise to those outside the English Language Institute. He established the Michigan Morley scholar program, which brought together scholars doing outstanding work in places such as Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Tunisia, Italy, and Spain, to name a few. When others asked for pre-prints or materials, they were shared. When anyone needed feedback on a text, it was given. When someone needed classroom materials, he provided them. He was driven by the belief that it was always good to be generous.
John’s accomplishments extended well beyond his academic work. He was an avid birder, contributing to the second edition of The Birds of Washtenaw County, Michigan, and a devoted butterfly enthusiast. While sitting in a car traveling down the road, he could spot a butterfly in a field and then proudly announce the species. He was a regular participant in and organizer of Michigan’s annual butterfly counts, where his expertise and excitement upon seeing a rather rare species enriched the experience for everyone involved. Ever the researcher, he also kept detailed records of changes in butterfly populations over the years. He enjoyed introducing newcomers to butterfly spotting, often asking colleagues and students to participate in his beloved counts. Always the teacher, he explained with patience and infectious enthusiasm the differences between two species that were seemingly identical to the untrained eye. “A series of small black dots on one corner of the wings made the difference, you see”. Noticing such things, these perhaps small, but meaningful differences, he would say, also helps a person be a better observer of other phenomena. Furthering his interest in citizen science and protecting butterfly populations, he co-authored The Butterflies of Our Local Park. When not outdoors, he spent time investigating a very niche area – Honduran postmarks – where he found yet another discourse community and published his insights in the West Indies Philatelic Study Group Journal. If John was interested in something, a publication would emerge.
John was known for his wit, humility, and storytelling. He was a true raconteur and bon vivant. Gatherings with him were filled with lively conversation, laughter, and a nice glass of wine. He was a deeply kind human being who welcomed students, friends, newcomers, colleagues, and visitors into his home often for a meal like Aunt Ruby’s fish pie, which he lovingly prepared and about which he had a story to tell. His home was a place of warmth and connection, where everyone felt valued.
John is survived by his loving partner Vi Benner; his children Claire, Kirby, and Harvey; his grandchildren Maxime, Lucas, Arabella, and Margot; and his sister, Ann Flack. John will be deeply missed by his family, friends, colleagues, and the countless individuals whose lives he touched. Despite the enormity of our loss, John’s legacy will live on through those who had the privilege of working closely with him and those he inspired from afar. As he always said, “there’s still lots to do, and no shortage of good projects.” John will be remembered not only as a pre-eminent scholar but also as a kind and compassionate person who found joy in the beauty of the world around him and sharing that joy with others.
May you rest in peace, John.
Donations in John's memory can be made to the Legacy Land Conservancy: https://legacylandconservancy.org/
