Unit 1 THE BEGINNING AND DEVELOPMENT OF ESP

II/THE DEVELOPMENT OF ESP ESP IN THE WORLD HAS DEVELOPED THROUGH 5 PHASES 1- The concept of special language: register analysis 2- Beyond the sentence: rhetorical or discourse analys

THE BEGINNING AND DEVELOPMENT OF ESP

WHAT IS ESP?

I/ THE ORIGIN OF ESP

ESP came into being because of 3 main reasons:

1- THE DEMAND OF THE POST- WORLD WAR

 enormous and unprecedented

expansion of scientific, technical and economic activities on an

international scale;

The Origin of ESP (cont.)

 domination of technology

and commerce  the role

of English;

 mass of people learn

English, not for pleasure, but because English is

the key to help them earn

a living;

The Origin of ESP (cont.)

 Most importantly, the learners know why they need English.

 The Oil Crisis of 70'  time

and money constraints  cost - effective courses with clearly

defined goals  ESP courses

“tailored” to specific needs.

The Origin of ESP (cont.)

2- A REVOLUTION IN LINGUISTICS

- Traditionally: the focus was to

describe the rules of English usage, the formal features of English

Conversation 1:

A: It’s raining !

B: Let’s go out for a walk

Conversation 2:

A: Why haven’t you cut the grass?

B: It’s raining !

Conversation 3 A: Let’s go out for a walk B: It’s raining !

The Origin of ESP (cont.)

considerably, in a number of different ways, from one context to the another

determine the features of specific

the ESP course

and I will tell you the English that

you need"

The Origin of ESP (cont.)

3- A FOCUS ON THE LEARNERS

- New development in

educational psychology  ESP

- Emphasis on the central

importance of learners and

their attitudes to learning ;

 Learners have different

needs and interests.

 influence on their motivation to learn and the effectiveness of learning

 ESP COURSES RELEVANT TO

NEEDS & INTERESTS

II/THE DEVELOPMENT OF

ESP

ESP IN THE WORLD HAS DEVELOPED

THROUGH 5 PHASES 1- The concept of special language:

register analysis

2- Beyond the sentence: rhetorical or

discourse

analysis

3- Target situation analysis

4- Skills and strategies

5- A learning-centered approach

III/ WHAT IS ESP?

DEFINITION Hutchinson & Waters (1987) ESP IS AN APPROACH, NOT A PRODUCT

"specialized varieties" of

English

science words and grammar for scientists, hotel words and

grammar for hotel staff etc.,

 ESP is not different in kind from any other form of

language teaching It should

be based in the first instance

on principles of effective and

efficient learning.

 The root of the tree is still English language teaching and English language learning -

and communication So ESP is

an approach not a product

III/ WHAT IS ESP?

(cont.)

 " There is … no such thing as an ESP

methodology, merely methodologies that have been applied in ESP classroom"

Hutchinson and Water (1987)

 " ESP…is an approach to language

learning, which is based on learner need

The foundation of all ESP is the simple question: Why does this learner need to learn a foreign language?“ Hutchinson and Water (1987)

III/ WHAT IS ESP?

(cont.)

Definition by Strevens (1988)

According to Strevens ESP has 4 absolute characteristics and 2 variable characteristics

Strevens’ definition (cont.)

The 4 absolute characteristics are:

 ESP is designed to meet the

needs of the learners

 ESP is related in content to

particular disciplines,

occupations and activities

 ESP is centered in language

appropriate to those activities in syntax, lexis, discourse,

semantics – and the analysis of

the discourse

 ESP is in contrast with

General English

III/ WHAT IS ESP?

(cont.)

Strevens’ definition (cont.)

Two variable characteristics are:

learning skills to be learned

pre-ordained methodology

III/ WHAT IS ESP?

(cont.)Definition of Dudley-Evans

(1997)

Dudley –Evans modified

Strevens’ definition into 3

Absolute Characteristics and

5 Variable Characteristics

3 ESP is centered on the

language appropriate to these

activities in terms of grammar,

lexis, register, study skills,

discourse and genre

Definition of Dudley-Evans

(1997) (cont.)

The 5 Variable characteristics are:

designed for specific disciplines

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

III/ WHAT IS ESP?

(cont.)

 Note that Dudley- Evans has Note that Dudley- Evans has

improved Streven’s definition

substantially by removing the

absolute characteristic that ESP

in “in contrast with General

English” and has revised and

increased the number of

variable characteristics

III/ WHAT IS ESP? (cont.)

Robinson (1991) gave 2 criteria and

some characteristics of ESP The

criteria are:

The characteristics are:

not identical students (mixed class)

“So, what is English for Specific Purposes? At this stage in my career,

my answer is this: ESP is English instruction based on actual and immediate needs of learners who have

to successfully perform real-life tasks unrelated to merely passing an English class or exam ESP is needs based and task oriented Teaching ESP is

task oriented Teaching ESP is

demanding, time consuming, and different for every group of students ESP is a challenge for all who teach it, and it offers virtually unlimited opportunities for professional growth.”

(Rebecca Smoak, 2003)

“Among the groundbreaking early insights of ESP practitioners,

perhaps most significant was the

realization that teacher intuition

and knowledge of language

systems were insufficient, and that understanding of language use in specific contexts was essential

(Dudley-Evans & St John, 1998;

Robinson, 1991). (Diane Belcher,

2006)”

Theories

LANGUAGE COURSE

WHO? WHY?

WHERE? WHEN?

Needs Analysis

Nature of particular target and learning situation