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Key words: ESP, ESL, teaching, learningBog'liq 98-71-PBKey words: ESP, ESL, teaching, learning.
There is no doubt that ESP courses have played, and are still playing, a crucial
role in English language teaching. Indeed, ESP courses have been an important element
of English language teaching since the 1960. However, it is spreading around the world
rapidly. It is better to commence mentoning the difference between ESP (English for
Specific Purpose) and ESL (Engish as a Second Language). The most significant
difference lies in the learners and also their purposes for learning English language.
Mostly, ESP learners will be adults who have some acquaintance with English and are
learning the language to communicate a set of professional skills and to perform
particular job-related functions. While in ESL all four language skills; reading, writing,
speaking and listening are stressed equally, in ESP language skills will be chosen
according to the needs of learners. However, there is no need to stress all four languages
in ESP.
In ESP teachers’ and learners’ roles are essential. While ESP teachers may
have some understanding of the fields in which their students work, these teachers do
not have to be knowledgeable in all of these fields. A degree in law or medicine is not
required of teachers in ESP courses for lawyers or doctors. In ESP, teachers’ and
students’ roles are different but complementary. Teachers are the language education
specialists; they know (about) English in addition to having pedagogical skills.
Students, on the other hand, have some knowledge of their professional field (generally
in their first language) and usually have a real motivation to learn the language (e.g.,
communicate with clients, read a manual, be promoted). It is not possible to generalize,
however, whether they know English. Liu and Berger (2015) state that ESP students
typically have an intermediate or advanced knowledge of English, but this is not always
the case. We have been involved in the development of ESP courses where the target
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