M.A.

(English Language Teaching)

2
nd
Semester





Assignment
ELT-522 ESP - Business English





Submitted to:
Ms Andleeb Ehsan
Submitted by:
Muhammad Younus


National University of Modern Languages
Department of English (GS)
(Karachi Campus)
Q. What is ESP? Discuss the similarities and differences between ESP & General English.
Describe the role of an ESP teacher.
English for specific purposes has been defined by Hutchinson & Waters (1987) as an approach to
language teaching in which all decisions as to content and method are based on the learners reason
of learning. They consider learners needs to be the foundation of ESP which determine what kind
of language they need to learn and in what context they will use it.
Dudley-Evans and St. Johan (1998) have also termed ESP an attitude of mind and described its
following absolute and variable characteristics.
Absolute Characteristics:
1. ESP is designed 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 rofessional
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
ESP Course:
Robinson (1991:2, quoted by Lowe 2009) has defined an ESP course to be goal-directed and based
on a needs analysis. It runs for a specified period of time and the learners are most adult with post-
elementary level of English proficiency. An ESP course may include specialist language as well as
specialist activities. It is again worth noting here that all ESP courses might not have all of these
qualities.

The above definitions make it sufficiently clear that ESP is an approach which aims to teach
language based on the needs of the learners. It is used to cater to learners in a specific learning
context and provides language instruction tailor-made to their needs. The skills focused, the content
taught and the methodology used are all based on the context in which learners, in most cases
immediately, will be using the newly acquired language.




Comparison of ESP & General English:
Widdowson (1983) and Wright (1992) (quoted by Popescu, 2010) establish the following distinctive
features of GE and ESP:

General English (GE) English for Specific Purposes (ESP)
The focus is often on education. The focus is on training;

The age of General English learners varies from
children to adults.
ESP learners are mostly adults.
They can be at various levels of proficiency in
English. However, they are always at elementary
level of proficiency, when they begin a GE
course.
They generally have post-elementary proficiency
level in English, when they join an ESP course.
Because of general nature of the course, no needs
analysis is conducted.
Needs analysis is always performed to identify
learners specific needs.
As the learners future needs are impossible to
predict, the course content is more difficult to
select.
As English is intended to be used in specific
vocational contexts, the selection of the
appropriate content is easier.
The syllabus content should have a high
surrender value in order to be used in different
language contexts.
(Surrender value stands for the overall utility (value)
of the English taught by a specific course.)
The syllabus content should have a high
surrender value relevant to the vocational
context.

The aim is to develop all four skills of
language with focus on grammar and
vocabulary development.
The aim may be to create a restricted English
competence. (Only reading or speaking, based on
the professional needs.)

It is also worth mentioning here that that GE and ESP approaches to language teaching are
not in contrast to each other (Dudley-Evans 1998). Anthony (1997, quoted by Popescu 2010)
also point out that it is very difficult to draw a line between GE and ESP courses, while
Waters and Hutchinson (1987) also believe that there is no difference between GE and ESP
as far as theory is concerned; however, there are differences in practical application of these
approaches.
This means we can say that a General English teacher is using an ESP approach, if he uses
needs analysis and adapts his materials and teaching methodology to better suit his learners.
While an ESP teacher is not at all adhering to ESP principles if he blindly follows a
particular course book, without having any regard for the interests, learning preferences and
aptitude of a particular group of learners.
The Role of an ESP Teacher:
The role of ESP teacher is more complex and more responsible than the General English
Teacher and this is why the term ESP Practitioner is more apt to use (Sierocka). He has to
perform several other duties apart from teaching students. Dudley-Evans (quoted by
Sierocka, 2008) has listed the following five roles for an ESP teacher.
Teacher:
This is the role where an ESP teachers job is very similar to a General English teacher.
However, the methodology of teaching has to be a little differentiated as in the ESP class
students at times know more about the content than the teacher himself. The teachers main
aim should be to create real and authentic communication in the classroom on the grounds of
students knowledge.
Collaborator:
ESP Teacher does not only need the knowledge of English language and its teaching methodology,
but he also requires some understanding of the profession and the specific discipline of his learners
in which they will be using the acquired language skills. This emphasises the need for collaboration
with the subject specialists which could be done through simple cooperation in which ESP teacher
gains information about the subject syllabus, or tasks the students have to carry out in their
professional setting. On a more thorough level of collaboration, there could be integration between
specialist studies/activities and language. Team-teaching could be another effective way of
collaboration with subject specialist, if arrangements for this could be made.
Material Developer:
Unlike General English, there is a lack of suitable materials for teaching English to specific
disciplines and professions. An added responsibility of an ESP teacher is to plan his course and
provide suitable materials for it as well. Material development could range from selecting suitable
materials for an ESP Course to adapting them to particular learners needs, and even writing own
materials when no published materials are available.

Researcher:
ESP teachers job also entails research for making an ESP course tailor-made for a particular
discipline or profession. He needs to research students aims for learning English, their interests and
learning preferences. The data produced by his research will be the foundation of the ESP course
which he will design, and will also influence the material development and methodology selection
for the ESP course.
Evaluator:
Although a General English teacher also has to evaluate his students progress and achievement
through tests and examinations, an ESP teacher is needed to evaluate some other aspects as well
besides monitoring students progress through testing. As ESP courses are tailor-made, the
evaluation of the course itself and teaching materials used is also crucial. Dudley-Evans suggests
that the evaluation in ESP should be on-going: while the course is being taught, at the end of the
course, and after the course has finished. Furthermore, as it is not possible to design one ESP course
for all ESP learners, unlike a General English Course, the constant evaluation of an ESP course
becomes a must.

To conclude, English for Specific Purposes approach has made a valuable contribution to the field of
English language teaching. Its emphasis on identifying leaners needs and selecting and adapting
course materials and methodology to fulfil their needs effectively are the insights that could also be
used in General English Courses. It is also evident that the job of an ESP practitioner requires a
much larger skill-set, effort and hard work compared to an English teacher.





Bibliography:
Anthony, L. (1997). Defining English for specific purposes and the role of the ESP practitioner.
(Retrieved March 28, 2014 from http://www.antlab.sci.waseda.ac.jp/abstracts/Aizukiyo97.pdf)
Anthony, L. (1997). ESP: What does it mean? Why is it different? On Cue.
(Retrieved March 28, 2014 from http://www.antlab.sci.waseda.ac.jp/abstracts/ESParticle.html)
Hutchinson, T. and A. Waters. (1987) English for Specific Purposes. Cambridge University Press
Lowe, I. (2009). What is ESP?
(Retrieved March 2008, 2014 from http://www.scientificlanguage.com/esp/whatisesp.pdf)
Popescu, A.V. (2010). Professiaonl Communication & Translation Studies Journal, Vol. 3 (1-2)
(Retrieved March 28, 2014 from
http://www.cls.upt.ro/files/conferinte/proceedings/2010/08_Popescu_2010.pdf )
Sierocka, H. (2008) The Role of the ESP Teacher. Vol. 2 (56).
(Retrieved March 28, 2014 from http://www.jezykangielski.org/theroleoftheespteacher.pdf )