How is 

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) different from English as a Second

Language (ESL), also known as general English?

The most important difference lies in the learners and their purposes for learning English.
ESP students are usually adults who already have some acquaintance with English and
are learning the language in order to communicate a set of professional skills and to
perform particular job-related functions. An ESP program is therefore built on an
assessment of purposes and needs and the functions for which English is required .

ESP concentrates more on language in context than on teaching grammar and language
structures. It covers subjects varying from accounting or computer science to tourism and
business management. The ESP focal point is that English is not taught as a subject
separated from the students' real world (or wishes); instead, it is integrated into a subject
matter area important to the learners.

However, ESL and ESP diverge not only in the nature of the learner, but also in the aim
of instruction. In fact, as a general rule, while in ESL all four language skills; listening,
reading, speaking, and writing, are stressed equally, in ESP it is a needs analysis that
determines which language skills are most needed by the students, and the syllabus is
designed accordingly. An ESP program, might, for example, emphasize the development
of reading skills in students who are preparing for graduate work in business
administration; or it might promote the development of spoken skills in students who are
studying English in order to become tourist guides.

As a matter of fact, ESP combines subject matter and English language teaching. Such a
combination is highly motivating because students are able to apply what they learn in
their English classes to their main field of study, whether it be accounting, business
management, economics, computer science or tourism. Being able to use the vocabulary
and structures that they learn in a meaningful context reinforces what is taught and
increases their motivation.

The students' abilities in their subject-matter fields, in turn, improve their ability to
acquire English. Subject-matter knowledge gives them the context they need to
understand the English of the classroom. In the ESP class, students are shown how the
subject-matter content is expressed in English. The teacher can make the most of the
students' knowledge of the subject matter, thus helping them learn English faster.

The term "specific" in ESP refers to the specific purpose for learning English. Students
approach the study of English through a field that is already known and relevant to them.
This means that they are able to use what they learn in the ESP classroom right away in
their work and studies. The ESP approach enhances the relevance of what the students
are learning and enables them to use the English they know to learn even more English,
since their interest in their field will motivate them to interact with speakers and texts.
ESP assesses needs and integrates motivation, subject matter and content for the teaching
of relevant skills.

The responsibility of the teacher

A teacher that already has experience in teaching English as a Second Language (ESL),
can exploit her background in language teaching. She should recognize the ways in which
her teaching skills can be adapted for the teaching of English for Specific Purposes.
Moreover, she will need to look for content specialists for help in designing appropriate
lessons in the subject matter field she is teaching.

As an ESP teacher, you must play many roles. You may be asked to organize courses, to
set learning objectives, to establish a positive learning environment in the classroom, and
to evaluate student s progress.

Organizing Courses
You have to set learning goals and then transform them into an instructional program
with the timing of activities. One of your main tasks will be selecting, designing and
organizing course materials, supporting the students in their efforts, and providing them
with feedback on their progress.

Setting Goals and Objectives

You arrange the conditions for learning in the classroom and set long-term goals and
short-term objectives for students achievement. Your knowledge of students' potential is
central in designing a syllabus with realistic goals that takes into account the students'
concern in the learning situation.

Creating a Learning Environment

Your skills for communication and mediation create the classroom atmosphere. Students
acquire language when they have opportunities to use the language in interaction with
other speakers. Being their teacher, you may be the only English speaking person
available to students, and although your time with any of them is limited, you can
structure effective communication skills in the classroom. In order to do so, in your
interactions with students try to listen carefully to what they are saying and give your
understanding or misunderstanding back at them through your replies. Good language
learners are also great risk-takers , since they must make many errors in order to succeed:
however, in ESP classes, they are handicapped because they are unable to use their native
language competence to present themselves as well-informed adults. That s why the
teacher should create an atmosphere in the language classroom which supports the
students. Learners must be self-confident in order to communicate, and you have the
responsibility to help build the learner's confidence.
Evaluating Students
The teacher is a resource that helps students identify their language learning problems
and find solutions to them, find out the skills they need to focus on, and take
responsibility for making choices which determine what and how to learn. You will serve
as a source of information to the students about how they are progressing in their
language learning.

The responsibility of the student

What is the role of the learner and what is the task he/she faces? The learners come to the
ESP class with a specific interest for learning, subject matter knowledge, and well-built
adult learning strategies. They are in charge of developing English language skills to
reflect their native-language knowledge and skills.

Interest for Learning

People learn languages 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 they are motivated to
attend their classes.

The ESP student is particularly well disposed to focus on meaning in the subject-matter
field. In ESP, English should be presented not as a subject to be learned in isolation from
real use, nor as a mechanical skill or habit to be developed. On the contrary, English
should be presented in authentic contexts to make the learners acquainted with the
particular ways in which the language is used in functions that they will need to perform
in their fields of specialty or jobs.

Subject-Content Knowledge
Learners in the ESP classes are generally aware of the purposes for which they will need
to use English. Having already oriented their education toward a specific field, they see
their English training as complementing this orientation. Knowledge of the subject area
enables the students to identify a real context for the vocabulary and structures of the ESP
classroom. In such way, the learners can take advantage of what they already know about
the subject matter to learn English.

Learning Strategies
Adults must work harder than children in order to learn a new language, but the learning
skills they bring to the task permit them to learn faster and more efficiently. The skills
they have already developed in using their native languages will make learning English
easier. Although you will be working with students whose English will probably be quite
limited, the language learning abilities of the adult in the ESP classroom are potentially
immense. Educated adults are continually learning new language behaviour in their
native languages, since language learning continues naturally throughout our lives. They
are constantly expanding vocabulary, becoming more fluent in their fields, and adjusting
their linguistic behaviour to new situations or new roles. ESP students can exploit these
innate competencies in learning English.

English for Specific Purposes (ESP)

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is a language approach whose goal is to
provide learners with narrowly defined goals the language elements they need to
function as professionals. Diane Belcher says,

“For those who are at all familiar with the approach to English language teaching known
as English for specific purposes, or ESP (also known as LSP), the descriptors likely to
spring to mind probably include such terms as needs-based, pragmatic, efficient, cost-
effective, and functional: a view of ESP encapsulated by Hutchinson and Waters (1987)
in the statement, ‘Tell me what you need English for and I will tell you the English that
you need’ (p. 8)” (134).

It does not diminish the value of more general English-learning courses that ESP
courses exist any more than a technical or vocational school threatens the values or
existence of a traditional university. It merely acknowledges that not every individual or
group has the same motivations driving them to learn a language. Magda Kourilova
writes,

“Few would dispute the need for students of scientific disciplines to learn English. The
teaching of English to scientists whose first language is not English is essentially
utilitarian. The learners need English as a means of doing their work efficiently and of
furthering their specialist education, and the language is not taught with a general
educational aim in mind, as a cultural or social experience” (431).

Each ESP course should be tailored to meet the specific needs of the learners in that
course. If the class consists of biologists, they should be learning specialized vocabulary
from texts related to that domain; if the learners want to become engineers, then poetry
and short stories will not meet their needs.

Media

“English for Specific Purposes.” YouTube, uploaded by soo oo, 09 Oct. 2016.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eCj7iulp4A.
Bibliography

Belcher, Diane D. “English for Specific Purposes: Teaching to Perceived Needs and
Imagined Futures in Worlds of Work, Study, and Everyday Life.” TESOL Quarterly, vol.
40, no. 1, 2006, pp. 133–156. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40264514.

Kourilova, Magda. “Teaching English For Specific Purposes.” The British Medical

Journal, vol. 2, no. 6187, 1979, pp. 431–433. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/25433614.

English for Specific Purposes: Its Definition, Characteristics,Scope and Purpose

Choudhary Zahid Javid
 
Abstract
The present study is an attempt to understand English for Specific Purposes (ESP):an extremely significant branch
of ELT by encompassing various linguists’ efforts to define it, tracing its historical growth, discussing its
characteristics, and trying to find out its scope and purpose to address the specific needs of EFL/ESL learners.
Though lots of contradicting views have been reported in defining ESP but there seems an agreement finally that it
is confined to the teaching of English to the learners who have specific goals and purposes: these goals might be
professional, academic or scientific. Thus it is not the specific discipline that is primary in ESP but the specific goal
of specific learners. The same has been reinforced by the discussion related to its absolute and variable
characteristics. Historical growth of ESP has also been traced and it has been reported that though it is considered a
modern approach ESP textbooks existed even in the sixteenth century. It is found out that the purpose of an ESP
course is to enable learners to function adequately in the target situation. Thus an ESP program should be aim-
directed, learner-directed and situation-directed. An ESP course should have the following three features
a)authentic material, b) purpose-related orientation and c) self-direction.
Keywords:
 English for specific purposes, characteristics, specific needs, authentic material
Introduction
From the early 1960s ESP has grown to become one of the most prominent areas of ELT. This development has
been “reflected in an increasing number of publications, conferences and journals dedicated to ESP
discussions”(Tratnik, 2008, p. 5). Cristine (1993, p. 17) has proved the validity of ESP in the modern world from
an unusual angle of competitive business world norms and has concluded that “in ESP design and implementation
are basic concepts and practices that fit in with ISO9000 QA requirements” because central requirements of an
ESP program are “tailor-made courses”, specific objectives, “needs analysis of target learning situation”,
continuous feedback and “formative eand summative – evaluations”(ibid.: 17). Talking about the reasons of its
growing acceptability, Dudley-Evans and St. John (1998, p. 19) have mentioned that ESP has developed a balance
between research and practice and called it "essentially a materials and teaching-led movement".

 
 English for Specific Purposes: Its Definition, Characteristics, Scope and Purpose
139
 
2. Definition of ESP
ESP seems quite flexible discipline and different people have defined it differently. We can count as many
definitions as the number of linguists who have defined it. All these definitions appear to cover various
characteristics of this approach (Sifakis, 2003 cf. Rogers, 1989; Rogers, 1996). Anthony (1997,p. 1) mentioned the
“clear differences in how people interpreted the meaning of ESP”at "The JapanConference on ESP”held on
November 8, 1997 at Aizu University in Aizuwakamatsu. He pointed outthat the participants were divided into
two groups. One group held the view that ESP was teaching ofEnglish for any purpose that could be specified
whereas the other group of participants ascribed to it as“the teaching of English used in academic studies or the
teaching of English for vocational orprofessional purposes”(ibid., p. 1). This particular example of differing views
regarding its definitionoffers clear insights about the general truth in relation to this controversy. Hutchinson and
Waters (1987)have defined ESP as an “approach”rather than a “ product”– meaning that ESP does not
necessarilyinvolve any particular kind of language, teaching material or methodology. The fundamental function
ofESP is: “Why does this learner need to learn a foreign language”(Milavic, 2006 cf. Hutchinson andWaters,
1987)? The rationale of learning English, thus, became the crux of ESP.Robinson (1980) has defined it as the
teaching of English to the learners who have specificgoals and purposes. According to him, these goals might be
professional, academic, scientific etc.Mackay and Mountford (1978, p. 2) have referred to it as the teaching of
English for “clearly utilitarianpurposes”. These specific purposes are the above-mentioned academic, professional
or scientific onesthat clearly depend on the learners’ needs. Both these definitions do not confine ESP to any
specificfield, discipline or profession and recognize its broader area of action. A rather comprehensiveapproach to
define ESP has been triedBy identifying its absolute and variable characteristics. Strevens' (1988) definition makes
adistinction between four absolute and two variable characteristics:
IAbsolute Characteristics:
ESP consists of English language teaching which is:designed to meet specified needs of the learner;•related in
content (i.e. in its themes and topics) to particular disciplines, occupations andactivitie•centred on the language
appropriate to those activities in syntax, lexis, discourse,semantics, etc., and analysis of this discourse;
•in contrast with General English.
II.Variable characteristics:
ESP may be, but is not necessarily:•restricted as to the language skills to be learned (e.g. reading only);
•taught according to any pre-ordained methodology (Gatehouse, 2001 cf. Strevens, 1998,pp. 1-2).This definition
tries to identify ESP in contrast with General English. Therefore, the emphasisis on “Specific English”that belongs
to some particular discipline, occupation or activity. Thisdefinition makes it mandatory that ESP courses should
concentrate on the language, i.e. syntax, lexis,discourse, semantics etc., which is appropriate for some particular
discipline, occupation or activity.Dudley-Evans and St. John (1998, p. 4-5) have presented a modified definition of
ESP which is alsocomprised of absolute and variable characteristics of ESP that are as follows:
I.“I. Absolute Characteristics
•ESP is defined to meet specific needs of the learner;
•ESP makes use of the underlying methodology and activities of the discipline it serves;
•ESP is centered on the language (grammar, lexis, register), skills, discourse and genresappropriate to these
activities.
II.Variable Characteristics
•ESP may be related to or designed for specific disciplines;
•ESP may use, in specific teaching situations, a different methodology from that ofgeneral English;
•ESP is likely to be designed for adult learners, either at a tertiary level institution or in aprofessional 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 beused with
beginners”. This definition also acknowledges that ESP is meant to meet learner’s specific needs but it
hasremoved the characteristic mentioned in Strevens’ definition that “ESP is in contrast with GeneralEnglish”.
This modified definition has extended the horizon of ESP by allowing it to encompass thespecific needs of the
students who do not necessarily belong to any specific occupation or discipline.Dudley-Evans and St. John (1998)
have also enhanced the list of variable characteristics as well. Theyhave contended that ESP is not necessarily but
“may be related to or designed for specific disciplines”and different methodologies “from that of General
English”may be employed to cater forthe needs of the specific teaching situations for specific disciplines (ibid.).
Contrary to the idea of restricting ESP courses for adult learners (Abbot, 1981; Widdowson, 1983; Robinson,
1991; McKayand Tom, 1999), Dudley-Evans and St. John have asserted that ESP courses are “likely to be
designedfor adult learners”but may be organized “for learners at secondary school level”. Likewise they
havepointed out that ESP courses may be planned for the beginners along with intermediate or
advancedstudents.It comes out from the above discussion that “S”for specific is central to this approach as
wasstated by Hadley (2006: 3) that “the key to teaching ESP is to focus on the “S”for specific. ESP can be
differentiated from general ELT by its concern with specialized language and practice”. But this
word“special”might apply to special language or special needs / aim. This confusion over these two notionswas
reported during 1980’s (Gatehouse, 2001 cf. Perren, 1974). Mackay and Mountford (1978, p. 4)defined the idea of
special language as follows:“The only practical way in which we can understand the notion of speciallanguage is
as a restricted repertoire of words and expressions selected from the wholelanguage because that restricted
repertoire covers every requirement within a well-defined context, task or vocation”.The second notion, “special
aim”, was interpreted as the learners’ special purpose of learning ofEnglish as a second language (ESL) or English
as a foreign language (EFL) instead of the nature of thelanguage they intended to learn (ibid.). Barron (1994, p. 3)
supported the first notion and confined ESPto specific disciplines and insisted “to place ESP firmly within the
multidimensional space thatconstitutes the students’ chosen disciplinary culture”.

It was further explained that the multidimensional space included “social, cultural and political factors as
well as functional ones”(ibid.,p. 3). Strevens’ (1998) supported the same notion because one of the absolute
characteristics of hisdefinition identified ESP as being "in contrast to General English". Resultantly, ESP should
concentrate on the learners’ special needs in particular occupations and activities. Fiorito (2005, p. 1)supported the
same belief and declared that “the ESP focal point is that English is not taught as asubject separated from the
students' real world (or wishes); instead, it is integrated into a subject matter area important to the learners.”Dudley-
Evans and St. John (1998) contradicted this restricted view regarding the scope of ESP by including English for
Academic Purposes (EAP) in the realm of ESP in their revised definition.They further clarified their contention
when they proclaimed that “it is our contention that all courses in specialized language and practice fall under the
English for specific purposes rubrics”(Hadley, 2006cf. Dudley-Evans and St. John, 1998, p. 3). This specialized
(language and practice) mean business, academic, occupational etc. Hutchinson and Waters (1987) also favored
the broader notion of ESP and did not restrict it to any specific discipline. They theorized that "ESP is an approach
to languageteaching in which all decisions as to content and method are based on the learner's reason for
 
 English for Specific Purposes: Its Definition, Characteristics, Scope and Purpose
According to them, ESP programs insisted on the “learner’s reason for learning”and not on any occupation or
profession. Gatehouse (2001, p. 3) reported that “consequently, the focus of the word 'special' in ESP ought to be
on the purpose for which learners learn and not on the specific jargon or registers they learn”.Although the above-
mentioned controversy about the definition and scope of ESP is likely toexist to some extent but a vast majority of
ESP proponents seems to agree that ESP is a very flexible approach of teaching of English as a second language
(TESL) / teaching of English as a foreign language (TEFL) that is integrally linked not only with special
disciplines and occupations but also caters for the special needs in the realm of EAP as well. It transpires that ESP
is not limited to any specific discipline but meant for the specific needs of the learners because “ESP is (or ought
logically to be) integrally linked with areas of activity(academic, vocational, professional) which have already been
defined and which represent the learners’ aspiration. The learning of ESP is in consequence an essentially
dependent activity, a parasitic process, and it follows that the pedagogy of ESP must be dependent too. It has no
purpose of its own; it exists only to serve those that have beenspecified elsewhere”(Barron, 1994, cf. Widdowson,
1983, pp. 108-109).
3. Types of ESP
Dudley-Evans and St. John, (1998) have divided EAP into two divisions: English for General Academic Purposes
(EGAP) and ESAP. EGAP is related to the teaching of language skills that are common in different disciplines but
ESAP refers to the teaching of language features that are specific for various disciplines. Research has offered
insights into the mutual relationship of EGAP and ESAP. Skills and language functions learnt in EGAP programs
may be transferred to specific disciplines in ESAP programs (ibid.). Many researchers have discussed about the
types of ESP and most of them have grouped ESP into two main categories: English for Occupational Purposes
(EOP) and EAP(Hutchinson and Waters, 1987; Robinson, 1991) whereas Carter (1983) has identified the
following three types of ESP:1.
 
English as a restricted language2.
 
English for Academic and Occupational Purposes (EAOP)3.
 
English with specific topics. Mackey and Mountford (1978) clearly defined the concept of “restricted language ”in
their following statement:“... the language of international air-traffic control could be regarded as 'special',in the
sense that the repertoire required by the controller is strictly limited and can be accurately determined situationally,
as might be the linguistic needs of a dining-room waiter or air-hostess. However, such restricted repertoires are not
languages, just as a tourist phrase book is not grammar. Knowing a restricted 'language' would not allow the
speaker to communicate effectively in novel situation, or in contexts outside the vocational
environment”(Gatehouse, 2001 cf. Mackey and Mountford, 1978, pp. 4-5).The scope and canvas of this first type
of ESP is extremely limited which allows the learner s learn English language for very restricted purposes and it
trains the learners to handle specific situations in extremely limited linguistic settings. This kind of ESP teaching
restricts itself to "limited number of phrases and expressions and these learners remain unable to use English in any
setting otherthan the one they have been trained for. EAOP has been recognized as the second kind by Carter
(1983) whereas majority of other researchers have confined their classification of ESP to EAP and EOP. Robinson
(1991) has also included these two types in his classification of ESP. Kennedy and Bolitho (1985) have added
Englishfor Science and Technology (EST) in their list of types of ESP. It seems to transpire that ESP has been
separated from EOP and EAP because of the fact that it was basically scientific and technological.