English for Specific Purposes: ALearning centred Approach

Dr.Varpe Machhindra Govind

Mula Education Society's Arts, Commerce &Science College Sonai
Tal Newasa ,DistAhmednagar

Abstract: ESP, like any formof language teaching, is primarily concerned with learning. But it is our viewthat in its
development up to now, ESP has paid scant attention to the question of how people learn, focussing instead on the
question of what people learn. It has, in other words, been language canteredin its approach. It has provided some
very important insights into the nature of specific language needs. ESP is founded in the first instance on sound
principles of learning and it is with this purpose in viewthat we have proposed learning centred approach to ESP. In
this paper, I have explained and reviewed the origin of ESP, a revolution in Linguistics, developing of ESP, what is
ESP? Jarious fields of ESP. focus on the learner, a learning-centred approach and its obfectives etc.
Keywords: expansion, technical, linguistics, learning- centred communication.
Introduction
ESP involves teaching and learning the speciIic skills and language needed by particular learners Ior a
particular purpose.
Let me point out those developments in English Ior speciIic purposes. ESP is a useIul and interesting
learning-centred approach.
English Ior speciIic purposes (ESP), not to be conIused with specialized English, is a sphere oI teaching
English language including Business English, Technical English, ScientiIic English, English Ior medical
proIessionals, English Ior tourism English Ior Art purposes etc. Aviation English as ESPis taught to pilots,
air traIIic controllers and civil aviation cadets who are going to use it in radio communication. ESP can be
also considered as an avatar oI language Ior speciIic purposes.
The Origin of ESP:
The decade oI 1950's was an enormous and unprecedented expansion in scientiIic, technical and economic
activity on an international scale. This expansion created a world uniIied and dominated by two Iorces-
technology and commerce which generated a demand Ior an international language.
Learning English became the need oI an hour, not Ior the pleasure or prestige oI knowing the language, but
because English was the key to the international currencies oI technology and commerce. Previously the
reasons Ior learning English had not been well deIined. But as English became the accepted international
language oI technology and commerce, it created a newgeneration oI learners who knewspeciIically why
they were learning a language businessmen and women who wanted to sell their products, mechanics who
had to read instruction manuals, doctors who needed to keep up with developments in their Iield and a
whole range oI students whose course oI study included textbooks and journals only available in English.
This development was accelerated by the oil Crises oI the early 1970s, which resulted in a massive
IlowoI Iunds and Western expertise into the oil-rich countries. English suddenly became big business and
commercial pressures began to exert an inIluence. English now became subject to the wishes, needs and
demands oI people other than language teachers .
ARevolution in Linguistics:
The demand was growing Ior English courses tailored to speciIic needs, inIluential newideas began
to emerge in the study language. Traditionally the aim oI linguistics had been to describe the rules oI English
usage, that is, the grammar. However the new studies shiIted attention away Irom deIining the Iormal
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Ieatures Ior language usage to discovering the ways in which language is actually used in real
communication (Widdowson, 1978). One Iinding oI this research was that the language we speak and write
varies considerably, and in a number oI diIIerent ways, Irom one context to another. In English language
teaching this gave rise to the view that there are important diIIerences between, say, the English oI
Commerce and that oI Engineering, These ideas married up naturally with the development oI English
courses Ior speciIic groups oI learners.
Swales (1985) presents an article by C.L. Barber on the nature oI ScientiIic English which was
published as early as 1962. But it was the late 1960s and early 1970s which saw the greatest expansion oI
research into the nature oI particular varieties oI English- Ior example, descriptions oI written ScientiIic and
Technical English by Ewer and Latorre (1969), Swales(1971),Selinker and Trimble (1976) and others .
Most oI the work at this this time was in the area oI English Ior Science and Technology (EST) and Ior a time
ESP and EST were regarded as almost synonymous. But there were studies in other Iields too, such as the
analysis oI doctor-patient communication by Candlin , Bruton and Leather(1976).
In short, the view gained ground that the English needed by a particular group oI learners could be
identiIied by analysing the linguistic characteristics oI their specialist area oI work oI study. 'Tell me what
you need English Ior and I will tell you the English that you need ' became the guiding principle oI ESP.
Development of ESP:
From the early 1960s, English Ior SpeciIic Purposes (ESP) has grown to become one oI the most
prominent areas oI EFLteaching today .Its development is reIlected in the increasing number oI universities
oIIering an M.A.in ESP (e.g The University oI Birmingham, and Aston university in the UK) and in the
number oI ESP courses oIIered to overseas students in English speaking countries. There is now a well
established international journal dedicated to ESP discussion,'' English Ior speciIic purposes: An
international Journal''. In Japan too, the ESPmovement has shown a slowbut deIinite growth over the past
Iewyears,
English forSpecific Purposes (ESP) :
This is the tree oI ELT(English Language teaching) which appears on page 17 oI Tom Hutchinson and Alan
Waters ''English Ior SpeciIic Purposes,'' 1987. The book describes such Iields as English Ior Medical
Studies, English Ior Technicians, English Ior Economics, English Ior Secretaries, English Ior Psychology,
and English Ior Teaching.
What is ESP?
This book explains that ''ESP is an approach to language teaching in which all decisions as to content and
method are based on the learner's reason Ior learning.'' (p.19)
BeIore discussing Ior learning what ESP is, it would be appropriate to consider why ESP is needed. The
authors Iurther say that ESP is not a particular language product but ''an approach to language teaching
which is directed by speciIic and apparent reason Ior learning ''. (p.19)
This explanation emphasizes the need Ior learning- centered approach, i.e., what we want to discover is not
competence in a language, but howsomeone acquires that competence.
ThereIore, it would not be very appropriate to think that ESP is a '' Special or SpeciIic English''. Actually,
ESP is English Ior SpeciIic Purposes. There are always concrete purposes Ior learning, such as technical,
proIessional, or academic studies. Emphasis is laid on teaching methodology, not on the contents oI ESP
itselI.
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ESPtextbooks:
ThereIore, ESPmaterials such as texts and exercises are very important .As Mary J. Schleppegrell points out
in her treatise on ESPprogram design, when selecting texts (spoken or written,) it is necessary to identiIy the
language skills that are needed by the learner to perIorm the task , and that are reIlected in the text.
Hutchinson and Waters also claim that both the ESPlearning situation and the target situation will inIluence
the nature oI the syllabus, material, methodology and evaluation procedures, and that the course design
needs to have built-in Ieedback channels to enable the course to respond to changes in the students' needs.
There are several kinds oI ESPtextbooks available to overseas students, such books as English Ior Careers
(Career English), Instrumental English, ProIessional English and Special English, published in England
and the United States. They however, do not always meet the need oI a particular country's students.
Various fields of ESP:
There are several materials that explain various Iields covered by ESP. Here, I'II cite two examples which I
think showthe width oI ESPcoverage.
One is Longman Dictionary oI Business English which gives the Iollowing 25 Iields:
Accounts, Advertising, Agriculture, Banking, Commerce, Commodity exchange, Computers Economics,
Economic history, Economic theory, Finance, Industry, Industrial relations, Industrial saIety. Insurance,
Law, Management,, Marine insurance, Public Iinance, Quality control, Shipping ,Stock exchange, Taxation
Tourism, and Transport.
The other is the Macmillan Career English Series which includes 12 kinds oI textbooks, i.e. agriculture,
aviation, businessbanking, general business, international trade, computers, engineering, hotel personnel,
medicine, restaurant employees, secretaries and tourism.
In Japan too, the ESPmovement has shown a slowbut deIinite growth over the past Iewyears
As described above, ESP has had a relatively long time to mature and so we would expect the ESP
community to have a clear idea about what ESP means. Some people described ESP as simply being the
teaching or English Ior any purpose that could be speciIied. Others, however, were more precise, describing
it as the teaching oI English used in academic studies or the teaching oI English Ior vocation or proIession
purposes. Tony Dudley- Evans, co- editor oI the ESPJournal mentioned above .He clariIied the meaning oI
ESP, giving an extended deIinition oI ESPin terms oI 'absolute' and 'variable' characteristics.
Definition of ESP(Dudley- Evans 1997)
Absolute characteristics:
1. ESPis deIined to meet speciIic needs oI the learners
2. ESPmakes use oI underlying methodology and activities oI the discipline it serves.
3. ESP is centered on the language appropriate to these activities in terms oI grammar lexis register,
study skills, discourse, and genre.
Variable characteristics
1. ESPmay be related to or designed Ior speciIic disciplines
2. ESP may use in speciIic teaching situation a diIIerent methodology Irom that oI General
English
3. ESP is likely to be designed Ior adult learners, either at a tertiary kevel institution or in a
proIessional work situation. It could, however, be Ior learners oI secondary school level
4. ESP. generally designed Ior intermediate or advanced students
5. Most ESPcourses assume some basic knowledge oI the language systems
The deIinition Dudley- Evans oIIers is clearly inIluenced by that oI Strevens (1988),although he has
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improved is substantially by removing the absolute characteristic that ESP is ''in contrast with 'General
English' '' (Johns et al , 1991:298), and has included more variable characteristics. The division oI ESPinto
absolute and variable characteristics, in particular, is very helpIul in resolving arguments upon what is and is
not ESP. From the deIinition, we can see that ESP can but is not necessarily concerned with a speciIic
discipline, nor does it have to be aimed at a certain age group or ability range. ESPshould be seen simple as
an 'approach' to teaching, or what Dudley- Evans describes as an 'attitude oI mind'. This is similar
conclusion to that made by Hutchinson et al (1987:19) who state,''ESPis an approach to language teaching
in which all decisions as to content and method are based on the learner's reason Ior learning.''
ESPand General English:
In Iact, one may ask 'what is the diIIerence between the ESPand General English approach? Hutchinson et
al. (1987:53) answer this quite simply,'' in theory nothing, in practice a great deal.'' Rather ironically, while
many General English teachers can be described as using any ESPapproach, basing their syllabi on a learner
needs analysis and their own specialist knowledge oI using English Ior real communication.
Focus on the learner:
Newdevelopments in educational psychology also contributed to the rise oI ESPby emphasising the
central importance oI the learners and their attitudes to learning ( e. g. Rodgers ,1969). Learners were seen to
have diIIerent needs and interests which would have an important inIluence on their motivation to learn and
thereIore on the eIIectiveness oI their learning. This lent support to the development oI courses in which
'relevance' to the learners 'needs and interests was paramount.
The growth oI ESP, then, was brought about by a combination oI three important Iactors: the
expansion oI demand Ior English to suit particular needs and developments in the Fields oI linguistics and
educational psychology.
ESPis known as a learner centered approach to teaching English as a Ioreign or second language. It
meets the needs oI (mostly) adult learners who need to learn a Ioreign language Ior use in their speciIic
Iields, such as science, technology, medicine, leisure, and academic learning. This course is recommended
Ior graduate students and Ioreign and second language proIessionals who wish to learn howto design ESP
courses and programmes in an area oI specialization such as English Ior business, Ior Civil Engineering, Ior
Academic Purposes, and Ior health services purposes. In addition, they are introduced to ESPinstructional
strategies, materials adaptation, and development, and evaluation.
Its objectives include:
1. To develop an understanding about the Iactors that led to the emergence oI ESPand the Iorces both
Theoretical and applied that have shaped its subsequent development
2. To assist students develop needs assessments and genre analyses Ior speciIic groups oI learners
3. To provide guidelines to adapt or create authentic ESP materials in a chosen proIessional or
occupational area and to critically evaluate currently available materials, including technology
based ones.
4. To become knowledgeable about assessment procedures appropriate Ior ESP and apply this
knowledge in developing course and lesson evaluation plans in their proIessional and occupational
area.
5. To sum up, English Ior SpeciIic Purposes is a new area oI study Ior many scholars. Our concern in
ESPis not with language use. Our concern is with language learning. Atruly valid approach to ESP
must be based on an understanding oI the processes oI language learning
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References
Dudley-Evans, Tony (1998). Developments in English for Specific Purposes. A multi-disciplinary approach .Cambridge
University Press. Cambridge.
Hutchinson, Tom and Waters Alan (1987). English for Specific Purposes. A Learner-centred approach. Cambridge University
Press. Cambridge.
Johns, Ann M.& Dudley Evans, Tony (1991). English for Specific Purposes. International in Scope,Specific in Purpose.
TESOLQuarterly 20:2,,297-314.
Strevens, P. (1988). ESP aIter twenty years :Are appraisal .In M.Tickoo (Ed.),ESP : State oI the art (1-13). SEAMEO Regional
Language Centre.
Swales, J. (Ed.), Episodes in ESP, Pergamum, 1985
Trimble, L,. EST: Adiscourse approach. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, 1985.
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