English-Medium Instruction (EMI) is expanding in non-Anglophone higher education, yet its implementation often overlooks the importance of language support in disciplinary teaching. This study examines a Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL)-ised EMI case, in which an EMI class is adapted from CLIL principles so that content teaching explicitly supports students’ English meaning-making. Using 12-week observations, stimulated-recall interviews with lecturers and student focus groups at a Malaysian university, we traced how language-related moments were initiated and interpreted. Three patterns emerged: intentional support (planned key-term work and designed scaffolds), unintentional support (spontaneous reformulations/repairs that incidentally clarified English), and reluctant support (minimal or deferred attention to language despite visible need). These moments were shaped by participants’ language awareness and by how they positioned responsibility for “doing language.” The findings point to institutional ambiguity around language work and the need for clearer policy guidance and targeted professional development to legitimise CLIL-ised EMI.
Hu et al. (Mon,) studied this question.