English for specific purposes (ESP) is a subset of

English as a second or foreign language English as a second or foreign language is the use of English by speakers with different native languages. Language education for people learning English may be known as English as a second language (ESL), English as a foreign language (EF ...

. It usually refers to teaching the

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the is ...

to university students or people already in employment, with reference to the particular vocabulary and skills they need. As with any language taught for specific purposes, a given course of ESP will focus on one occupation or profession, such as Technical English, Scientific English, English for medical professionals, English for waiters, English for tourism, etc. Despite the seemingly limited focus, a course of ESP can have a wide-ranging impact, as is the case with Environmental English.

English for academic purposes English for Academic Purposes (EAP), commonly known as Academic English, entails training students, usually in a higher education setting, to use language appropriate for study. It is one of the most common forms of English for Specific Purposes (E ...

, taught to students before or during their degrees, is one sort of ESP, as is

Business English Business English is a part of English for specific purposes and can be considered a specialism within English language learning and teaching, or a variant of international English. Many non-native English speakers study the subject with the goal o ...

Aviation English Aviation English is the ''de facto'' international language of civil aviation. With the expansion of air travel in the 20th century, there were safety concerns about the ability of pilots and air traffic controllers to communicate. In 1951, the In ...

is taught to pilots,

air traffic controller Air traffic control specialists, abbreviated ATCS, are personnel responsible for the safe, orderly, and expeditious flow of air traffic in the global air traffic control system. Usually stationed in air traffic control centers and control ...

s and

civil aviation Civil aviation is one of two major categories of flying, representing all non-military and non-state aviation, both private and commercial. Most of the countries in the world are members of the International Civil Aviation Organization and work ...

cadets to enable clear radio communications.

Definition

Absolute characteristics

# ESP is defined to meet psychological needs of the learners and how they will respond to temptations (

Maslow's hierarchy of needs Maslow's hierarchy of needs is an idea in psychology proposed by American psychologist Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper "A Theory of Human Motivation" in the journal ''Psychological Review''. Maslow subsequently extended the idea to include his o ...

). # ESP makes use of underlying methodology and activities of the discipline it serves. # ESP is centered on the language appropriate to these activities in terms of

grammar In linguistics, the grammar of a natural language is its set of structure, structural constraints on speakers' or writers' composition of clause (linguistics), clauses, phrases, and words. The term can also refer to the study of such constraint ...

lexis Lexis may refer to: * Lexis (linguistics), the total bank of words and phrases of a particular language, the artifact of which is known as a lexicon *Lexis (Aristotle), a complete group of words in a language *LexisNexis, part of the LexisNexis onl ...

, register, study skills, discourse and

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

Variable characteristics

Strevens' (1988) ESP may be, but is not necessarily: # Restricted as to the language skills to be learned (e.g. reading only); # Not taught according to any pre-ordained methodology (pp. 1–2) Dudley-Evans & St John (1998) # ESP may be related to or designed for specific disciplines;(Dabong, 2019) # ESP may use, in specific teaching situations, a different methodology from that of general English; # ESP is likely to be designed for adult learners, either at a tertiary level institution or in a professional work situation. It could, however, be for learners at secondary school level; # ESP is generally designed for intermediate or advanced students; # Most ESP courses assume some basic knowledge of the language system, but it can be used with beginners (pp. 4–5)

Teaching

ESP is taught in many

universities A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

of the world. Many professional associations of teachers of English ( TESOL,

IATEFL International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL) is an organisation in the field of English language learning and teaching. It is based in Britain and was founded in 1967 as ATEFL (it became ‘International’ in 197 ...

) have ESP sections. Much attention is devoted to ESP course design. ESP teaching has much in common with

English as a Foreign or Second Language English as a second or foreign language is the use of English by speakers with different native languages. Language education for people learning English may be known as English as a second language (ESL), English as a foreign language (EF ...

and

English for Academic Purposes English for Academic Purposes (EAP), commonly known as Academic English, entails training students, usually in a higher education setting, to use language appropriate for study. It is one of the most common forms of English for Specific Purposes (E ...

(EAP). Quickly developing

can be considered as part of a larger concept of English for Specific Purposes. ESP is different from standard English teaching in the fact that the one doing the teaching not only has to be proficient in standard English, but they also must be knowledgeable in a technical field. When doctors of foreign countries learn English, they need to learn the names of their tools, naming conventions, and methodologies of their profession before one can ethically perform surgery. ESP courses for medicine would be relevant for any medical profession, just as how learning electrical engineering would be beneficial to a foreign engineer. Some ESP scholars recommend a "two layer" ESP course: the first covering all generic knowledge in the specific field of study, and then a second layer that would focus on the specifics of the specialization of the individual.

References

Notes

Hutchinson, T. & A. Francisco. 1987. English for Specific Purposes: A learning-centered approach
Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press A university press is an academic publishing hou ...

.
Eric.ed.gov
Dudley-Evans, Tony. An Overview of ESP in the 1990s. In: The Japan Conference on English for Specific Purposes Proceedings (Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima, Japan, November 8, 1997)
Amazon.co.uk
Dudley-Evans, Tony (1998). Developments in English for Specific Purposes: A multi-disciplinary approach. Cambridge University Press.
''Ideas and Options in English for Specific Purposes''
2006 {{ISBN, 978-0-8058-4418-4 Developmentalpsychologyarena.com, Helen Basturkmen. Ideas and Options in English for Specific Purposes. Published by: Routledge, 2005
Eric.ed.gov
The Apitong 3rd floor on English for Specific Purposes Proceedings (Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima, November 8, 1997) Orr, Thomas, Ed.

External links

Organizations

Tesol.org
TESOL's ESP Interest Section and the ESP discussion list
Espsig.iatefl.org
IATEFL ESP Special Interest Group

IATEFL ESP SIG Website
IESPTA -
International ESP Teachers' Association (it's the only association for ESP Teachers)

Articles

Hewings, M. 2002. A history of ESP through 'English for Specific Purposes'.

Kristen Gatehouse. Key Issues in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) Curriculum Development. The Internet TESL Journal.

Laurence Anthony. English for Specific Purposes: What does it mean? Why is it different?

Journals

Asian ESP Journal

Elsevier.com, English for Specific Purposes An International Research Journal

Journal of Teaching English for Specific and Academic Purposes

Magazines

ESP Professional
-It's the only magazine for ESP Teachers worldwide.

Official Site

English Learning Official Site
English-language education