WHAT+IS+ESP?

What is ESP? After reading the articles "What is English for Specific Purposes", by Rebecca Smoak and “Defining English for Specific Purposes and the Role of the ESP Practitioner” by Laurence Anthon. English for Specific Purposes: What does it mean? Why is it different? By Laurence Anthony. I think the ESP is: the teaching of English for any purpose that could be specified, the teaching of English used in academic studies, and the teaching of English for vocational or professional purposes. People learn language when they have opportunities to understand and work with language in a context that they comprehend and find interesting. In this view, ESP is a powerful means for such opportunities. Students will acquire English as they work with materials which they find interesting and relevant and which they can use in their professional work or further studies. The more learners pay attention to the meaning of the language they hear or read, the more they are successful: the more they have to focus on the linguistic input or isolated language structures, the less thy are motivated to attend their classes. The ESP has got these Characteristics:1. ESP is defined to meet specific needs of the learners 2. ESP makes use of underlying methodology and activities of the discipline it serves 3. ESP is centered on the language appropriate to these activities in terms of grammar, lexis, register, study skills, discourse and genre. Variable Characteristics 1. ESP may be related to or designed for specific disciplines. 2. ESP may use, in specific teaching situations, a different methodology from that of General English.3. 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.4. ESP is generally designed for intermediate or advanced students. 5. Most ESP courses assume some basic knowledge of the language systems. The definition Dudley-Evans offers is clearly influenced by that of Strevens (1988), although he has improved it substantially by removing the absolute characteristic that ESP is "in contrast with 'General English'" (Johns et al., 1991: 298), and has included more variable characteristics. The division of ESP into absolute and variable characteristics, in particular, is very helpful in resolving arguments about what is and is not ESP. From the definition, we can see that ESP can but is not necessarily concerned with a specific discipline, nor does it have to be aimed at a certain age group or ability range. ESP should be seen simple as an 'approach' to teaching, or what Dudley-Evans describes as an 'attitude of mind'. This is a similar conclusion to that made by Hutchinson et al. (1987:19) who state, "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" . The acronyms that I learnt are: AIDS: immune deficiency syndrome ATLL: adult T-cell leukemia GE: General English EAP: English for Academic Purposes ESL: English as a Second Language ESOL: English to speakers of other languages ESP: English for Specific Purposes <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">TESOL: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">I think that the more common language skills are: reading, writing, listening and speaking. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Regards <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Pedro Castilla.