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ESP
IN PAIRS DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS,

BE READY TO SOCIALIZE YOUR ANSWERS:
1.- How would you describe ESP (English for Specific Purposes)?
2. What are the characteristics of ESP?
3. When do you thing this approach emerged?
4. Why do you think ESP emerged?
5. What is the relation between ESP and English Language Teaching
(ELT)?
WHAT IS ESP?
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)” (p. 57). 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.
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)” (p.79).
Lorenzo (2005) reminds us that ESP “concentrates more on language in context
than on teaching grammar and language structures” (p. 1)
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.
Today, English for Specific Purposes (ESP) has a more complex definition.
Dudley-Evans (1997) provided a comprehensive definition of ESP by requiring
to fulfill the following “absolute” characteristics of this domain:
• ESP has to address the specific needs of the learners;
• ESP applies a primary methodology and activities specific to the discipline on
which it focuses;
• ESP is a language-centered methodology that includes the teaching and learning
of grammar, vocabulary, lexis, register, study skills, discourse, and genre.
ESP also has so-called “variable characteristics” in its definition, according to
Dudley-Evans (1997):
• ESP could be created for the needs of specific disciplines;
• ESP could apply the different methodology of English learning compared to
general English;
• ESP is usually developed for adult learners (for work-related setting or a
tertiary educational institution), yet, learners could represent secondary level;
• ESP is developed for learners at the intermediate starting level and higher;
• The majority of ESP courses share some basic knowledge of the language.
BRIEF HISTORY OF ESP
• ESP has nearly 50 years of research and practice as the main basis, which made
it the most important language teaching approach in academic and workplace
settings.
• At the same time, it is customary to identify the 1960s as the foundation years
of ESP, an in depth analysis of ESP’s history conducted by Ramírez (2015)
points to the end of World War II as the years of origin of this framework.
ESP’s emergence in those years is explained by the need to communicate among
countries at the international level in terms of business, commerce, and security,
which made English the new “lingua franca” of the world (Ramírez, 2015).
Cross-cultural communication was particularly important at the end of World
War II and in the post-war period, as many countries were economically
devastated, and the world needed a quick restoration of production, economy, and
development that could be attained with the help of international trade.
However, more intensive development of ESP was observed during the 1960s,
when the changes in the world’s markets, intensification of international trade,
and technological progress required the knowledge of English.
• ESP was developed as a reaction to the progress in the international economy, which stimulated
technological advancement, the rise of the oil-rich countries, increased mobility of people, and
rising number of international students in English-speaking countries.
• The international community understood that learning English was paramount for the modern
world, doing business, and overall development. During that time, English had become not
only the medium of international communication but also as the means of knowledge
transmission in academic and scholarly circles.
When educators realized that ESP must have a different methodology of
teaching and learning, it was initially proposed to teach semi- or sub-technical
vocabulary to learners in addition to general language learning (Johns, 2013).
This approach was focused mostly on the form rather than explained how to
combine the specific vocabulary and how to use these words in the context.
Since the early 1990s, ESP began to develop in the way scholars know it today.
Experts and theorists aimed at expanding the movement’s horizons by
distinguishing ESP from the community of general English learning. ESP
focused on the communicative significance of discourse instead of lexical and
grammatical characteristics of English (Maleki, 2008).
As a result of a changed perspective on the matter, ESP has become a more
specific and focused framework of teaching and learning.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC
PURPOSES (ESP) AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING (ELT)
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” (p.19).
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.
From everything said, you can see that some of the qualities of ESP as one of the
ELT branches include that:
1. ESP has specific needs.
2. ESP has content related materials.
3. ESP is centred on particular language function, skills (listening, speaking,
writing, and reading); English components (grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary)
or activities.
4. ESP is learner-centred.
5. ESP is perceived as relevant by the learners.
From everything said, we can see that some of the qualities of ESP as one of the
ELT branches include that:
1. ESP has specific needs.
2. ESP has content related materials.
3. ESP is centred on particular language function, skills (listening, speaking,
writing,
and reading); English components (grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary) or
activities.
4. ESP is learner-centred.
5. ESP is perceived as relevant by the learners.
CHARACTERISTICS OF ESP
The absolute characteristics are that ESP courses are:
1. designed to meet the specific needs of the learner;
2. related in content to particular disciplines or occupations;
3. centred on language specific to those disciplines or occupations;
4. in contrast to General English.
The variable characteristics are that courses may:
1. be restricted in the skills to be learned;
2. not be taught according to a particular methodology.
3. ESP may be related to or designed for specific disciplines.
4. ESP may use, in specific teaching situations, a different methodology from that of
General English.
5. 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.
6. ESP is generally designed for intermediate or advanced students.
7. Most ESP courses assume some basic knowledge of the language systems (p.4).

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ESP

IN PAIRS DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS,

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