In this paper we focus on teachers' use of discourse functions as transmitters and builders of content knowledge in the context of English-medium instruction (EMI) at the university level. Couched within the construct of Cognitive Discourse Function (CDF) (Dalton-Puffer, 2016), we analyze 6 two-hour lessons delivered by three lecturers in history. In line with the competences set out by the Spanish Ministry and the Department of History at the University of the Basque Country (Spain) for the history degree, this analysis allows us to examine how cognitive functions are operationalized in real classroom language. The study aims to analyze whether CDFs are instrumental in the acquisition of competences in history. Our findings reveal that teachers frequently use complex CDFs by combining different types of discourse functions to achieve their communicative goals and pave the way for students’ acquisition of history competences. We conclude by putting forward some refinements and specifications of CDFs in terms of what is required by history as a discipline.

在本文中，我们重点关注教师在大学水平的英语-中等语言教学（EMI）的背景下，将话语功能用作内容知识的传递者和建构者。在认知话语功能（CDF）的构造下（Dalton-Puffer，2016），我们分析了历史上三位讲师提供的6个两小时的课程。与西班牙教育部和西班牙巴斯克大学（University of Basque Country）（西班牙）的历史系规定的能力相一致，该分析使我们能够研究认知功能如何在真实的课堂语言中实现。该研究旨在分析CDF是否有助于获取历史能力。我们的发现表明，教师经常通过组合不同类型的话语功能来使用复杂的CDF，以实现他们的交流目标并为学生获得历史能力铺平道路。最后，我们根据历史作为一门学科的要求，提出了一些CDF的改进和规范。