This paper explores distance education as social practice by drawing on theories of communication and sociolinguistics.
Language is fundamental to all social situations including open and distance educational contexts.
The paper argues that success as an open or distance education teacher or student is dependent on expertise in the linguistic demands of the educational context. Though some of these demands are common with traditional forms of education, open and distance contexts add another level of complexity. In particular, the paper advocates a consideration of discourses as fundamental.