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Esp Week 1

The document summarizes the history and development of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). It traces the origins of ESP back to the 1940s when specialized English language training emerged for military personnel and diplomats. ESP grew in prominence in the 1960s with the rise of English for Science and Technology. By the 1970s, Business English became a major focus as international trade expanded. ESP continued evolving to include Academic English in the 1980s-1990s and more specialized disciplines after the 1990s. Technological advances now allow ESP to incorporate digital tools and online learning. Globalization has led to an ongoing emphasis on English for international communication across professions. ESP is defined as an approach to teaching English based on the learner's specific reasons and goals

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15 views

Esp Week 1

The document summarizes the history and development of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). It traces the origins of ESP back to the 1940s when specialized English language training emerged for military personnel and diplomats. ESP grew in prominence in the 1960s with the rise of English for Science and Technology. By the 1970s, Business English became a major focus as international trade expanded. ESP continued evolving to include Academic English in the 1980s-1990s and more specialized disciplines after the 1990s. Technological advances now allow ESP to incorporate digital tools and online learning. Globalization has led to an ongoing emphasis on English for international communication across professions. ESP is defined as an approach to teaching English based on the learner's specific reasons and goals

Uploaded by

Emely
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ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES

English for Specific Purposes or English for Special Purposes arose as a term in the 1960s as it became increasingly
aware that General English (GE) courses frequently did not meet learners’ or employers’ needs. It has become one of the
most prominent areas of EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teaching today.

This subject exposes you to the definitions of ESP, tracing its origin as an approach to language teaching that focused on
learner’s reasons for learning English. It also describes the characteristics of ESP as an approach to language teaching.

This subject also attempts a survey of the development and directions of ESP, otherwise known as “enduring conception”
or basic principles and they include authenticity, research-base, language/text, need and learning/methodology.

Early Influences (1940s-1950s):


The origins of ESP can be linked to the language needs
arising during World War II. Military personnel and diplomats
needed specialized language training for their specific roles.

In the 1950s, with the growth of scientific and technological fields,


there was an increased demand for English language training in
these specialized areas.

Rise of English for Science and Technology (EST) (1960s):


The 1960s saw the formalization of English for Science and
Technology (EST) as a distinct area within ESP.

The focus was on developing language courses tailored to the needs of scientists and engineers.

Growth in Business English (1970s):


As international business and trade expanded, there was a growing demand for English language courses tailored
to the needs of professionals in business and commerce.

Business English became a significant subfield of ESP during


this period. The beginning of the English language in the
Philippines was around 1898 to 1920.
Shift towards Academic English (1980s-1990s): Including Jose Rizal, National hero of the
ESP expanded into the academic realm, with a focus on
Philippines learned English on his own and
providing English language support to students in various
also encouraged his sister to learn too.
disciplines.

English for Academic Purposes (EAP) emerged as a distinct area


within ESP, catering to the language needs of students and The way of learning was directly followed by
researchers in academic settings. proper grammar like the ones used in
American schools. Filipino themselves taught
Development of English for Specific Academic Disciplines English to one another. Between 1920 – 1941,
(1990s-Present): Around 209 Filipino scholars were sent to get a
ESP evolved further to address the specific language college degree in various fields like Medicine,
requirements within various academic disciplines, such as
Law and Animal Science.
medicine, law, engineering, and the sciences.

The approach shifted towards context-specific language teaching, with an emphasis on the communicative and functional
aspects of language.
Technological Advances (2000s-Present):
With the advent of technology, ESP has embraced digital tools and online resources to enhance language learning.
Virtual learning environments, online courses, and multimedia resources play a significant role in ESP today.

Globalization and International Communication (Present):


The increasing interconnectedness of the world has led to a continued emphasis on English for international
communication across various professions and disciplines.

ESP continues to evolve to meet the dynamic language needs of professionals in a globalized context.

What does ESP mean?

From the outset, the term ESP was a source of contention with many
arguments as to what exactly was ESP? Even today there is a large amount of on-
going debate as to how to specify what exactly ESP constitutes (Belcher, 2006,
Dudley-Evan & St. John, 1998, Anthony, 1997).

1. According to Strevens (1977) “ESP concerns the emergence of a number of


activities, movements and subjects that are carried out predominantly (though) not
exclusively in English across the world”. It looks at the purpose for which the student
needs to learn English, i.e. for occupational or for study purposes. ESP is a term that
refers to teaching or studying English for a particular career (like law, medicine) or
for business in general.

The fact that learners know specifically why they are learning a language is a
great advantage on both sides of the process. The learners are therefore motivated, and
this enables the teacher to meet learners’ needs and expectations more easily. Learner
and the way of learning (“acquiring language”) are considered to be the main factors
in the whole process.

2. Hutchinson and Waters (1992) emphasize ESP to be an approach and not a


product which means language learning not language use is highlighted. They draw
attention to a learning centered approach “in which all decisions as to content and
method are based on the learner´s reason for learning.

3. Coffey (1985) observes that ESP is “a quick and economical use of the
English language to pursue a course of academic study (EAP) or effectiveness in paid
employment (EOP)” (Lorenzo (2005) reminds us that ESP “concentrates more on language in context than on teaching
grammar and language structures” He also points out that as ESP is usually delivered to adult students, frequently in a work-
related setting (EOP), that motivation to learn is higher than in usual ESL (English as a Second Language) contexts. Carter
(1983) believes that self-direction is important in the sense that an ESP course is concerned with turning learners into users
of the language.
The Relationship between English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and English Language Teaching (ELT)

Now that you know what ESP is, let us examine ESP as a branch of ELT. Robinson (1989) describes ESP as a type
of English Language Teaching (ELT) and defines it as: “Goal oriented language learning”. This means a student has a
specific goal that is going to be attained. Coffey (1985) sees ESP as a major part of communicative language teaching in
general. Umera-Okeke (2005, p. 4) adapting Hutchinson and Waters (1987) ELT Tree traced the relationship between ELT
and ESP. She establishes that the general purpose of language teaching was initially as a result of learning and
communication which was later narrowed to ELT.

English was taught as a Mother Tongue (EMT), a Foreign Language (EFL) or a Second Language (ESL). It was ESL and
EFL as branches of ELT that later gave rise to ESP and GE. This is as illustrated in The ELT Diagram below.

The diagram illustrates that ESP is an approach to language teaching. This is a similar conclusion to that made by
Hutchinson and Waters (1987) who state that, “ESP is an approach to language teaching in which all decisions as to content
and method are based on the learner's reason for learning”. It is not a matter of teaching specialized varieties of English; not
a matter of science words and grammar for scientists; not different from any other kind of language teaching but concerns
what people do with the language and the range of knowledge and abilities that enable them to do it (Hutchinson & Waters,
1981).

This definition is as against seeing ESP as a product, that is, there is no particular kind of language or methodology nor does
it consist of a particular type of reading material. It is rather an approach to language learning based on learner’s need (Why
does the learner need to learn a foreign language?).

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