1.

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) Orientation Programme JNTU, ASC, Hyderabad 12 July
2011 By Dr M A Waheed

2. English for Specific Purposes (ESP) • It is a separate activity within English Language
teaching (ELT) • British teachers are the pioneers of ESP • Difficult to implement ESP in the
contemporary world • Advanced situations in different fields helped to improve ESP

3. Difference between General English (GE) and English for Specific Purposes (ESP) • GE:
“Vanaja teaches English” • ESP: “Vanaja teaches British poetry” • ESP is an approach, not a
product • ESP is meant for career oppurtunity • GE is for “no obvious purpose” • ESP is for
specific purpose

4. ESP - Definition • “ESP is the language for getting the things done throughout the world” -
Dudley – Evans and St John Specialists in ESP • ESP is coal face of international language. i.e,
“applied ELT” - Jennifer Jenkins The well known Linguist

5. ESP as a multi-disciplinary activities • The need and willingness to engage with other
disciplinary through teaching. • The need and willingness to draw the insights of researchers
in their disciplines. • The need to work how the spoken and written texts are useful to
students in terms of their validity. • To understand how the business is organized through
the text books from management training and HRD management. • In ESP work, we have to
be sensitive to cultural differences both in academic and professional world.

6. Characteristics of ESP: • Designed to meet specified needs of the learner. • Related to

content to particular disciplines, occupations and activities etc. • Centered on language
activities in syntax, lexis, discourse, semantics, and analysis of the discourse. • In contrast
with ‘General English’. • May be restricted to the learning skills to be learned. • May not be
taught according to pre-ordained methodology.

7. Seven key Roles of the ESP practioner: • Clearly explain the objectives. • Teacher or
language consultant should understand the nature of students’ subject or vocation. • Course
designer and material provider. • Researcher – Think the needs of students. • Collaborator
by using texts, contexts, and situations. • Evaluator.

8. Characteristics of the ESP learner: • Learner is learning English in order to achieve

something specific beyond language itself. • Learner will involve skills that are very different
from learning a language skills. • ESP learner may learn English slowly because his aim is to
pursue a vocation and a purpose which is not based on language. • ESP learner may study
English at the same time as studying his/her subject or doing a full-time job to the ESP class.
• ESP learner may not have similar level of English. So, teacher must expect mixed levels and
allow to improve differentiation.

9. Classification of ESP: Now a days, many learners are hungry for material and advise that will
help them with their specific course or with particular skills related to their course • English
for Academic Purposes (EAP) • English for Business Purposes (EBP)

10. 1. English for Academic Purposes (EAP) • EAP refers to any English that relates to study a
purpose
11. EAP: English for Academic Purposes: • EAP refers to any English teaching that relates to a
study purpose. • Students whose first language is not English may need help with both the
languages of academic disciplines and specific study skills required for the course. • EAP is
one movement with in ESP.

12. EAP: English for Academic Purposes: • EST (English for Science and Technology) • 1) Project
reports preparation. • EMP (English for medical Purposes) • 1) Written medical
communication • 2) Paper and slide preparation. • ELP (English for legal purposes) • 1)
Academic legal writing • 2) Judicial writing • 3) Legislative writing

13. EAP: English for Academic Purposes: • EAP is badly in need in the situations where the
students are from rural areas who may have had rather less exposure to English and may
have been less well taught at school or college level and now are studying may be
encountering in a large scale for the first time at the beginning of an academic course. They
are unlikely to have studied specific tasks or purposes for the study of university level. • In
EAP English for Science and Technology (EST) has been the war area but English for Medical
Purposes (EMP) and English for Legal Purposes (ELP) have always had their place. Recently
the academic study of business, finance, banking, economics, and accounting has become
increasingly important especially on Masters in Business Administration (MBA) courses.

14. Teachers’ trends in English for Academic Purpose (EAP): • Register Analysis • Discourse
Analysis • Study Skills Analysis • Learning Needs Analysis

15. 2. English for Business Purposes (EBP) • EOP (English for Occupational Purposes) • EVP
(English for vocational Purposes)

16. Characteristics of Business English: • Users of Business English: • Most of English – medium
communications in business are non-native speaker (NNS). • It is said that non-English
managers can understand English better than a native speakers’ English. • EBP is an umbrella
term. • Definition of Business English: • “Communication with the public and
communication with in (intra) company or between (inter) companies” – Pickett Linguist

17. General English Communication with public Business English Communication among
businesses Specialised language of particular businesses (such as insurance pharmaceuticals)

18. Trends of Teachers of Business English: • For Business English Teachers, personality,
knowledge, and experience are important. • Mostly English teachers have not worked in
business and they can not speak such language but acquiring is not a problem as from
reading and talking to people, attending courses and seminars one can acquire.

19. English for Academic Purposes (EAP)VersusEnglish for Business Purposes (EBP) • EAP
operates within a world were the fundamental concern is individual where as in EBP the
purpose is with the world. • EAP interaction will be limited but in EBP, it will be in the world.
• In EAP situations NNS has to adapt to both language and culture but in EBP situations, NNS
may use the language but does not adapt the culture. • EAP teachers studied in academic
environment but EBP teachers does not have direct experience with their learners.

20. References • Developments in English for ESP: A multi-disciplinary approach. Tony Dudley
Evans, Maggie Jo St. John, Cambridge language, Teaching library, CUP, Cambridge, 1998. •
English for Specific Purpose – Keith Harding Oxford, 2010 (resource Alan Mally).
21. Dr. M.A. Waheed • Formerly associate professor of English. • Visiting faculty School of
Management Studies, JNTU, Hyderabad. • External research examiner, MANUU, Hyderabad.
• External research examiner, BAMU, Aurangabad.

22. Thank you Q & A