ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES

ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES Definition The meaning and signification of the term ESP has undergone several changes over the years and is continuing to undergo modifications. Dudley-Evans and St. John (1998, pp. 3-5) present the following definitions given to ESP:

Hutchinson and Waters (1987) Use ESP as an approach rather than a product, by which they mean that ESP does not involve a particular kind of language, teaching material or methodology. Why does this learner need to learn a foreign language? *to the learners, *the language required and ;*the learning context,

and thus establishes the primacy of NEED in ESP. Steven (1988)Makes a distinction between four absolute characteristics and two variable characteristics.

Absolute characteristics of ESP consist of English language teaching which is:

Designed to meet specified needs of the learner; Related in content (that is in its themes and topics) to particular disciplines, occupations and activities; Centered on language appropriate to those activities in syntax, lexis, discourse, semantics, and so on, and analysis of the discourse; In contrast with General English

The variable characteristics are that ESP

May be restricted as to the learning skills to be learned (e.G. Reading only, speech recognition only, etc.) May not be taught according to any pre-ordained methodology

Types & Classification

ESP has traditionally been divided into main areas: English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and English for Occupational Purposes. Robinson (1991, p.3) uses the following tree diagram to show the classification:

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Dudley-Evans and St. John (1998, p.6) prepare another tree diagram for ESP which divides EAP and EOP according to discipline or professional area.8Basic Features of an ESP course Various educational institutions and training centers claim that their English program is ESP. However, it should be noted that ESP is designed to meet specific needs of the learners. Thus, the following are some of the basic features or characteristics of an ESP. These may be considered as the criteria from which we may gauge whether a program is ESP or not.

ESP is goal orientedESP is based on needs analysisESP is time-boundESP is for adultsESP is discipline specificESP is goal oriented- because students study english for a specific purpose, i.E. To survive in an academic setting or in a workplace, topics and activities are specified on the goal of the student. Hence, the program should not be geared towards a general approach to teaching the english language. Esp is based on needs analysis- relevant to the first criteria, the topics and activities embedded within an esp course is based on the analysis of students needs, i.E. Initial needs, learning needs, and target or end-of-course requirements. Esp is time-bound- because students study english for a specific purpose, they do not intend to spend too much time engaging to indirect learning activities and exercises. Each session aims to contribute to the end goal, which should be met at a specified time or duration. Esp is for adults- although there may be some people taking up esp courses, most often the students are adults, simply because they are the ones who are opting to learn english as a preparation for higher learning or for the workplace. Esp is discipline specific- most often than not, esp courses are written to fit a particular group of students who belong to the same field of study. If youre a nurse, you would not enroll in an english for engineers course, would you?

10Specificity and Motivation Being focused on the learners need, it wastes no time; It is relevant to the learner; It is successful in imparting learning; It is more cost-effective than General English

It was further emphasized that motivation in ESP has a profound effect on the question of how specific the course is. High motivation on the part of the learners generally enables more subject specific work to be undertaken; low motivation, however, is likely to lead to a concentration on less specific work.

11Carrier Content and Real Content

practitioners try to clarify the role of the actual content carrier content and real content In ESP, any teaching activity, whether its aim is to teach language or skills, is presented in a context. Dudley-evans and st. John (1998) differentiate the two significant terms in ESP as follows: carrier content refers to the subject matter of an exercise real content refers to the language or skill content of an exercise 12History & Development The idea for a specialized english program came into existence during the 1960s in response to the sprouting global need to fill the gap between developed and developing countries. Developing nations were starting to be curious and interested to learn more than what they have within their boundaries. However, they were hindered by the language barrier, since english is the lingua franca. According to masters (1985), the first focus of esp was on the lexis. The idea was that normal ESL materials would be used but that subject-specific lexical items would be substituted for more general terms (e.G. This is a book would be replaced by this is an erlenmeyer flask. This was originally labeled register for want of a better term.

As the pendulum of language teaching swung from structural approaches to more communicative or pragmatic approaches, ESP also went with the tide. ESP courses went beyond the sentence level and focused not on describing but on doing However, similar with language teaching approaches during those times, ESP courses were still teacher-centered. Hence, with the concern regarding the needs of the students becoming more emphasized, ESP practitioners started looking for realistic materials that students will be able to meaningfully use within the ESP classes.

Synoptically, the history and development of ESP is defined in terms of five stages: (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987 as cited in Sinha and Sadorra, 1991, pp. 17-23)

The concept of special language: register analysis Beyond the sentence: rhetorical or discourse analysis Target situation analysis Skills and strategies Learning-centered approach

LANGUAGE ISSUES IN ESP Grammar in ESP

There are many misconceptions about the role of grammar in esp teaching. It is often said that ESP teaching is not concerned with grammar. ESP practitioners claim that it is incorrect to consider grammar teaching as outside the remit of ESP.

How much priority is paid to grammatical weakness depends on the learners level in english and whether priority needs to be given to grammatical accuracy or to fluency in using the language.

Key Grammatical Forms

Verbs and tense Voice Modals Articles Nominalisation Logical connectors

Vocabulary in ESP Swales (1983) emphasizes the importance of the teaching of vocabulary in ESP. Researchers in ESP identify three (3) levels of vocabulary:

Technical/Specialist Vocabulary

In general, ESP practitioners believe that it is not the responsibility of ESP teachers to teach technical vocabulary. In certain specific contexts, it may be the duty of the ESP teachers to check that learners have understood technical vocabulary appearing as carrier content for an exercise. It may also be necessary to ensure that learners have understood technical language presented by a subject specialist or assumed to be known by a subject specialist. It is important that both the teacher and the learners appreciate that this vocabulary is acting as carrier content for an experience, and is not the real content of the experience.

Semi-Technical and Core Business Vocabulary

Baker (1988) lists six categories of vocabulary, all of which relate to EAP. They are: Items which express notions general to all disciplines; General language items that have a specialized meaning in one or more disciplines; Specialized items that have different meanings in different disciplines General language items that have restricted meanings in different disciplines General language items that are used to describe or comment on technical process or functions in preference to other items with the same meaning, for example occur rather than happen; Items used to signal the writers intentions or evaluation of material presented.

General and Non-Academic

N.B. Most ESP practitioners agree that it is the second level which should be taught on an ESP course.

22Discourse and Genre Analysis

ESP needs a system of linguistic analysis that demonstrates differences between texts and text types. They further point out that genre analysis within esp is prescriptive, whereas register analysis is descriptive. The aim of discourse analysis, particularly the system of analysis of clause relations in written text is to describe relations that are found in all texts. It is concerned with similarities between texts.

PRACTICAL CONCERNS IN ESP Needs Analysis Syllabus/ Course Design Role of Materials Testing and Evaluation

NEEDS ANALYSISFirst, what do we mean by needs? There are various views regarding the meaning of needs as espoused by various language teachers, researchers, and course designers. The following are some of them.

Needs may refer to students study or job requirements, i.E. What they should be able to do at the end of the course. Thus, the first definition of needs is synonymous to objectives. (Berwick, 1989) Needs may also be synonymous to necessary or those which the user institution or society view as desirable to be learnt from a programme of language instruction. (Mountford)

CONT.Needs may be regarded as what the learner needs to do to actually acquire the language. This is more of the needs in terms of the process of learning. (Widdowson) Needs may also be synonymous to the personal aims of the learner. (Berwick, 1989) Needs may also be synonymous to lacks or what students do not know or cannot do in english. (Robinson, 1991)

These different views on the meaning of needs are necessary in understanding the meaning and importance of needs analysis. According to iwai et al. (1999), the term needs analysis generally refers to the activities that are involved in collecting information that will serve as the basis for developing a curriculum that will meet the needs of a particular group of students.

As a result of the different views on needs various terms (or types) related to needs analysis have been introduced. The following are the most common:

Target situation analysis- a needs analysis that focuses on the needs of the students at the end of the language program; thus, this analysis focuses on the expectation, i.E. What the student should be like. Present situation analysis- this needs analysis focuses on the level of the students language skills at the start of the language program, i.E. Looking into their strengths and weaknesses. Pedagogic needs analysis- proposed by west (1998), this type of needs analysis is an umbrella term that covers three elements, namely: (a) deficiency analysis, which looks into the lacks of the learner; (b) strategy analysis or learning needs analysis, which looks into the strategies that learners employ in order to learn a language (establishes the how the learners wish to learn); and (c) means analysis, which looks into the cultural differences among groups of students (what works well in one situation may not work in another).

In a more specific level, the needs of the student in learning a language may be summarized into two: Register analysis- analyzes how English is used in particular disciplines or specializations; this level of analysis looks into the lexicon, grammar, and syntax of English as used in a particular field. Results of these studies spell out the lessons, activities, and materials that will be used in a particular language program. (e.g. Barbers (1962) study on the nature of Scientific English) Discourse analysis- expands the concept of register by going beyond the sentence level. Some examples of studies looked into the rhetorical acts (definition, cause-effect, etc.), non-prose/non-verbal texts, and cohesion.