English as a foreign or second language

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"ESL" redirects here. For other uses, see ESL (disambiguation).
See also: Language education and Second language acquisition
An immigrant makes an American breakfast, aided by instructional materials from the YMCA, 191!
ESL "English as a second language#, ESOL"English for speakers of other languages#,
andEFL "English as a foreign language# all refer to the use or study of English by speakers $ith
different nati%e languages! &he precise usage, including the different use of the terms E'( and E')(
in different countries, is described belo$! &hese terms are most commonly used in relation to teaching
and learning English, but they may also be used in relation to demographicinformation!
ELT "English language teaching# is a $idely*used teacher*centred term, as in the English language
teaching di%isions of large publishing houses, E(& training, etc! &he abbre%iationsTESL "teaching
English as a second language#,TESOL "teaching English to speakers of other languages#
and TEFL "teaching English as a foreign language# are also used!
)ther terms used in this field include EAL "English as an additional language#, EIL "English as an
international language#, ELF "English as a lingua franca#, ESP "English for special purposes,
or English for specific purposes#, EAP "English for academic purposes#! 'ome terms that refer to
those $ho are learning English are ELL "English language learner#, LEP "limited English proficiency#
and CLD "culturally and linguistically di%erse#!
Contents
[hide]
1 Terminology and types
o 1.1 English outside English-speaking countries
o 1.2 English within English-speaking countries
o 1.3 Umbrella terms
o 1. !ystems o" simpli"ied English
2 #i""iculties "or learners
o 2.1 $ronunciation
o 2.2 %rammar
o 2.3 &ocabulary
o 2. #i""erences between spoken and written English
o 2.' &arieties o" English
3 E(ams "or learners
o 3.1 The )ommon European *ramework
+uali"ications "or teachers
o .1 ,on-nati-e speakers
o .2 United !tates .uali"ications
o .3 /ritish .uali"ications
o . !outh 0orea .uali"ications
o .' )hile .uali"ications
' $ro"essional associations and unions
1 2cronyms and abbre-iations
o 1.1 Types o" English
o 1.2 3ther abbre-iations
4 !ee also
o 4.1 5anguage terminology
o 4.2 %eneral language teaching and learning
o 4.3 English language teaching and learning
o 4. )ontemporary English
o 4.' English 5anguage !chools
o 4.1 3ther
o 4.4 #ictionaries and 6esources
7 6e"erences and notes
8 *urther reading
19 E(ternal links
[edit]Terminology and types
&he many acronyms and abbre%iations used in the field of English teaching and learning may be
confusing! English is a language $hat has great reach and influence+ it is taught all o%er the $orld
under many different circumstances! ,n English*speaking countries, English language teaching are
essentially e%ol%ed in t$o broad directions- instruction for people $ho intend to li%e in an English*
speaking country and for those $ho don.t! &hese di%isions ha%e gro$n firmer as the instructors of
these t$o /industries/ ha%e used different terminology, follo$ed distinct training 0ualifications, formed
separate professional associations, and so on! Crucially, these t$o arms ha%e %ery different funding
structures, public in the former and pri%ate in the latter, and to some e1tent this influences the $ay
schools are established and classes are held! Matters are further complicated by the fact that
the 2nited 'tates and the 2nited 3ingdom, both ma4or engines of the language, describe these
categories in different terms- as many elo0uent users of the language ha%e obser%ed, /England and
America are t$o countries di%ided by a common language!/ "Attributed to Winston Churchill, 5eorge
6ernard 'ha$, and )scar Wilde!# &he follo$ing technical definitions may therefore ha%e their currency
contested!
[edit]English outside English-speaing !ountries
EFL, English as a foreign language, indicates the use of English in a non7English*speaking region!
'tudy can occur either in the student.s home country, as part of the normal school curriculum or
other$ise, or, for the more pri%ileged minority, in an anglophone country that they %isit as a sort of
educational tourist, particularly immediately before or after graduating from uni%ersity! TEFL is
the teaching of English as a foreign language+ note that this sort of instruction can take place in any
country, English*speaking or not! &ypically, EF( is learned either to pass e1ams as a necessary part of
one.s education, or for career progression $hile $orking for an organisation or business $ith an
international focus! EF( may be part of the state schoolcurriculum in countries $here English has no
special status "$hat linguist 6ra4 3achru calls the /e1panding circle countries/#+ it may also be
supplemented by lessons paid for pri%ately! &eachers of EF( generally assume that students
are literate in their mother tongue! &he Chinese EFL Journal
819
and ranian EFL Journal
8:9
are e1amples
of international 4ournals dedicated to specifics of English language learning $ithin countries $here
English is used as a foreign language!
[edit]English "ithin English-speaing !ountries
&he other broad grouping is the use of English $ithin the Anglosphere! ,n $hat theorist 6ra4
3achru calls /the inner circle/, i!e! countries such as the 2nited 3ingdom and the 2nited 'tates, this
use of English is generally by refugees, immigrants and their children! ,t also includes the use of
English in /outer circle/ countries, often former 6ritish colonies, $here English is an official
language e%en if it is not spoken as a mother tongue by the ma4ority of the population!
,n the 2', Canada and Australia, this use of English is called ESL "English as a second language#!
&his term has been critici;ed on the grounds that many learners already speak more than one
language! A counter*argument says that the $ord /a/ in the phrase /a second language/ means there
is no presumption that English is the second ac0uired language "see alsoSecond language#! TESL is
the teaching of English as a second language!
,n the 23, ,reland and <e$ =ealand, the term E'( has been replaced by ES!L "English for speakers
of other languages#! ,n these countries TES!L "teaching English to speakers of other languages# is
normally used to refer to teaching English only to this group! ,n the 23, the termE"L "English as an
additional language#, rather than E')(, is usually used $hen talking about primary and secondary
schools, in order to clarify English is not the students. first language, but their second or third!
8>9
)ther acronyms $ere created to describe the person rather than the language to be learned! &he term
(E? "(imited English proficiency# $as created in 19@A by the (au Bemedies follo$ing a decision of
the 2' 'upreme Court! E(( "English (anguage (earner#, used by 2nited 'tates go%ernments and
school systems, $as created by Cames Cra$ford of the ,nstitute for (anguage and Education ?olicy in
an effort to label learners positi%ely, rather than ascribing a deficiency to them! ()&E "(anguages
other than English# is a parallel term used in Canada, Australia, and <e$ =ealand!
&ypically, this sort of English "called E'( in the 2nited 'tates, Canada, and Australia, E')( in the
2nited 3ingdom, ,reland and <e$ =ealand# is learned to function in the ne$ host country, e!g! $ithin
the school system "if a child#, to find and hold do$n a 4ob "if an adult#, to perform the necessities of
daily life! &he teaching of it does not presuppose literacy in the mother tongue! ,t is usually paid for by
the host go%ernment to help ne$comers settle into their adopted country, sometimes as part of an
e1plicit citi;enship program! ,t is technically possible for E'( to be taught not in the host country, but in,
for e1ample, a refugee camp, as part of a pre*departure program sponsored by the go%ernment soon
to recei%e ne$ potential citi;ens! ,n practice, ho$e%er, this is e1tremely rare!
?articularly in Canada and Australia, the term ES# "English as a second dialect# is used alongside
E'(, usually in reference to programs for Canadian First <ations people or indigenous Australians,
respecti%ely!
8D9
,t refers to the use of standard English, $hich may need to be e1plicitly taught, by
speakers of a creole or non*standard %ariety! ,t is often grouped $ith E'( asESL$ES#!
[edit]#m$rella terms
All these $ays of denoting the teaching of English can be bundled together into an umbrella term!
2nfortunately, all the English teachers in the $orld cannot agree on 4ust one! &he
term TES!L"teaching English to speakers of other languages# is used in American English to include
both &EF( and &E'(! &his is also the case in Canada! 6ritish English uses ELT "English language
teaching#, because &E')( has a different, more specific meaning+ see abo%e!
[edit]Systems o% simpli%ied English
For international communication se%eral models of /simplified English/ ha%e been suggested or
de%eloped, among them-

6asic English, de%eloped by Charles 3ay )gden "and later also ,! A! Bichards# in the 19>Es+ a
recent re%i%al has been initiated by 6ill &empler
8A9

&hreshold (e%el English, de%eloped by %an Ek and Ale1ander

8F9

5lobish, de%eloped by Cean*?aul <erriGre

6asic 5lobal English, de%eloped by Coachim 5r;ega

8@9

<uclear English, proposed by Bandolph Huirk and 5abriele 'tein but ne%er fully de%eloped
89

&he English collecti%ely de%eloped in the 'imple English Wikipedia, primarily 6asic
Englishand 'pecial English
[edit]Di%%i!ulties %or learners
(anguage teaching practice often assumes that most of the difficulties that learners face in the study
of English are a conse0uence of the degree to $hich their nati%e language differs from English
"a contrasti%e analysis approach#! A nati%e speaker of Chinese, for e1ample, may face many more
difficulties than a nati%e speaker of 5erman, because 5erman is closely related to English, $hereas
Chinese is not! Another e1ample $ill be 'panish, because a lot of the $ords that come from this
language are $ritten in the same $ay though pronounced differently! &his may be true for anyone of
any mother tongue "also called first language, normally abbre%iated (1# setting out to learn any other
language "called a target language, second language or (:#! 'ee also second language
ac0uisition "'(A# for mi1ed e%idence from linguistic research!
(anguage learners often produce errors of synta1 and pronunciation thought to result from the
influence of their (1, such as mapping its grammatical patterns inappropriately onto the (:,
pronouncing certain sounds incorrectly or $ith difficulty, and confusing items of %ocabulary kno$n
as false friends! &his is kno$n as (1 transfer or /language interference/! Io$e%er, these transfer
effects are typically stronger for beginners. language production, and '(A research has highlighted
many errors $hich cannot be attributed to the (1, as they are attested in learners of many language
backgrounds "for e1ample, failure to apply >rd person present singular *s to %erbs, as in .he make.#!
'ome students may ha%e %ery different cultural perceptions in the classroom as far as learning a
second language is concerned! Also, cultural differences in communication styles and preferences are
significant! For e1ample, a study looked at Chinese E'( students and 6ritish teachers and found that
the Chinese learners did not see classroom discussion and interaction as important but placed a hea%y
emphasis on teacher*directed lectures!
89981E9
[edit]Pronun!iation
Consonant phonemes
English does not ha%e more indi%idual consonant sounds than most languages! Io$e%er, the
interdentals, // and // "the sounds $ritten $ith th#, $hich are common in English "thin, thing,
etc!+ and the, this, that, etc!# are relati%ely rare in other languages, e%en others in
the5ermanic family "e.g., English thousand J 5erman tausend#, and these sounds are
missing e%en in some English dialects! 'ome learners substitute a [t] or [d] sound, $hile
others shift to [s] or [z], [f] or [v] and e%en [ts] or [dz]!
'peakers of Capanese, 3orean, Chinese and &hai may ha%e difficulty
distinguishing [] and [l]! 'peakers of Kiang Chinese may ha%e a similar difficulty
distinguishing [n] and [l]! &he distinction bet$een [b] and [v] can cause difficulty for nati%e
speakers of 'panish, Arabic, Capanese and 3orean!
&o"el phonemes
&he precise number of distinct %o$el sounds depends on the %ariety of English- for
e1ample,Becei%ed ?ronunciation has t$el%e monophthongs "single or /pure/ %o$els#,
eight diphthongs"double %o$els# and t$o triphthongs "triple %o$els#+ $hereas 5eneral
American has thirteen monophthongs and three diphthongs!
8citation needed98dubious % discuss9
Many
learners, such as speakers of 'panish, Capanese or Arabic, ha%e fe$er %o$els, or only pure
ones, in their mother tongue and so may ha%e problems both $ith hearing and $ith
pronouncing these distinctions!
Sylla$le stru!ture
,n its syllable structure, English allo$s for a cluster of up to three consonants before the %o$el
and four after it "e.g., stra&, des's, glim(sed#! &he syllable structure causes problems for
speakers of many other languages! Capanese, for e1ample, broadly alternates consonant and
%o$el sounds so learners from Capan often try to force %o$els in bet$een the consonants
"e.g., des's /desks/ becomes /desukusu/ or mil' sha'e /mlk ek/ becomes
/mirukushLku/#!
(earners from languages $here all $ords end in %o$els sometimes tend to make all English
$ords end in %o$els, thus ma'e /mek/ can come out as [mek]! &he learner.s task is
further complicated by the fact that nati%e speakers may drop consonants in the more
comple1 blends "e.g., [mns] instead of [mns] for months#!
#nstressed 'o"els * <ati%e English speakers fre0uently replace almost
any %o$el in an unstressed syllable $ith an unstressed %o$el, often sch$a!
For e1ample, )rom has a distinctly pronounced short .o. sound $hen it is
stressed "e.g., *here are +ou from,#, but $hen it is unstressed, the short
.o. reduces to a sch$a "e.g., -m )rom London.#! ,n some cases, unstressed
%o$els may disappear altogether, in $ords such as chocolate "$hich has
four syllables in 'panish, but only t$o as pronounced by Americans- /choc.
lit/!#
'tress in English more strongly determines %o$el 0uality than it does in most other $orld
languages "although there are notable e1ceptions such as Bussian#! For e1ample, in some
%arieties the syllables an, en, in, on and un are pronounced as homophones, that is, e1actly
alike! <ati%e speakers can usually distinguish an able, enable, and unable because of their
position in a sentence, but this is more difficult for ine1perienced English speakers! Moreo%er,
learners tend to o%erpronounce these unstressed %o$els, gi%ing their speech an unnatural
rhythm!
Stress timing * English tends to be a stress*timed language * this
means that stressed syllables are roughly e0uidistant in time, no
matter ho$ many syllables come in bet$een! Although some other
languages, e!g!, 5erman and Bussian, are also stress*timed, most of
the $orld.s other ma4or languages are syllable*timed, $ith each
syllable coming at an e0ual time after the pre%ious one! (earners from
these languages often ha%e a staccato rhythm $hen speaking English
that is disconcerting to a nati%e speaker!
/'tress for emphasis/ * students. o$n languages may not use stress for emphasis as English
does!
/'tress for contrast/ * stressing the right $ord or e1pression! &his may not come easily to
some non*nati%e speakers!
/Emphatic apologies/ * the normally unstressed au1iliary is stressed ", really am %ery sorry#
,n English there are 0uite a number of $ords * about fifty * that ha%e t$o different
pronunciations, depending on $hether they are stressed! &hey are /grammatical $ords/-
pronouns, prepositions, au1iliary %erbs and con4unctions! Most students tend to o%eruse the
strong form, $hich is pronounced $ith the $ritten %o$el!
Conne!ted spee!h
?honological processes such as assimilation, elision and epenthesis together $ith indistinct
$ord boundaries can confuse learners $hen listening to natural spoken English, as $ell as
making their speech sound too formal if they do not use them! For e1ample, in B? eight
beetles and three ants /et bitlz nd ri nts/ becomes [etbitl l znijns]!
See also: "ccent reduction
[edit](rammar
Tense) aspe!t) and mood * English has a
relati%ely large number of tense7aspect7
moodforms $ith some 0uite subtle differences,
such as the difference bet$een the simple past
/, ate/ and the present perfect /, ha%e eaten!/
?rogressi%e and perfect progressi%e forms add
comple1ity! "'ee English %erbs!#
Fun!tions o% au*iliaries * (earners of English
tend to find it difficult to manipulate the %arious
$ays in $hich English uses au1iliary %erbs!
&hese include negation "e!g! /e hasn-t been
drin'ing.#, in%ersion $ith the sub4ect to form a
0uestion "e!g! /as he been drin'ing,#, short
ans$ers "e!g! 0es, he has.# and tag
0uestions "has he,#! A further complication is
that the dummy au1iliary %erb do Mdoes Mdid is
added to fulfil these functions in the simple
present and simple past, but not for the %erb to
be!
+odal 'er$s * English also has a significant
number of modal au1iliary %erbs $hich each
ha%e a number of uses! For e1ample, the
opposite of /You must be here at / "obligation#
is usually /You don.t ha%e to be here at / "lack
of obligation, choice#, $hile /must/ in /You must
not drink the $ater/ "prohibition# has a different
meaning from /must/ in /You must not be a
nati%e speaker/ "deduction#! &his comple1ity
takes considerable $ork for most English
language learners to master!
Idiomati! usage * English is reputed to ha%e a
relati%ely high degree of idiomatic usage! For
e1ample, the use of different main %erb forms in
such apparently parallel constructions as /try to
learn/, /help learn/, and /a%oid learning/ pose
difficulty for learners! Another e1ample is the
idiomatic distinction bet$een /make/ and /do/-
/make a mistake/, not /do a mistake/+ and /do a
fa%or/, not /make a fa%or/!
Arti!les * English has an appreciable number
of articles, including the /the/ definite articleand
the /a, an/ indefinite article! At times English
nouns can or indeed must be used $ithout an
article+ this is called the ;ero article! 'ome of
the differences bet$een definite, indefinite and
;ero article are fairly easy to learn, but others
are not, particularly since a learner.s nati%e
language may lack articles or use them in
different $ays than English does! Although the
information con%eyed by articles is rarely
essential for communication, English uses them
fre0uently "se%eral times in the a%erage
sentence#, so that they re0uire some effort from
the learner!
[edit]&o!a$ulary
Phrasal 'er$s * ?hrasal %erbs in English can
cause difficulties for many learners because
they ha%e se%eral meanings and different
syntactic patterns! &here are also a number of
phrasal %erb differences bet$een American and
6ritish English!
,ord deri'ation * Word deri%ation in English
re0uires a lot of rote learning! For e1ample, an
ad4ecti%e can be negated by using
the prefi1 un. "e!g! unable#, in. "e!g! ina((ro(riat
e#, dis."e!g! dishonest#, or a. "e!g! amoral#, or
through the use of one of a myriad related but
rarer prefi1es, all modified %ersions of the first
four!
Si-e o% le*i!on * &he history of English has
resulted in a %ery large %ocabulary, essentially
one stream from )ld English and one from
the <orman infusion of (atin*deri%ed terms!
"'chmitt N Marsden claim that English has one
of the largest %ocabularies of any kno$n
language!# &his ine%itably re0uires more $ork
for a learner to master the language!
Collo!ations * Collocations in English refer to
the tendency for $ords to occur regularly $ith
others! For e1ample, nouns and %erbs that go
together "ride a bikeM dri%e a car#! <ati%e
speakers tend to use chunks of collocations and
the E'( learners make mistakes $ith
collocations in their $ritingMspeaking $hich
sometimes results in a$k$ardness!
Slang and Collo.uialisms ,n most nati%e
English speaking countries, large numbers of
slang and collo0uial terms are used in e%eryday
speech! Many learners may find that classroom
based English is significantly different from ho$
English is spoken in normal situations! &his can
often be difficult and confusing for learners $ith
little e1perience of using English in Anglophone
countries! Also, slang terms differ greatly
bet$een different regions and can change
0uickly in response to popular culture! 'ome
phrases can become unintentionally rude if
misused!
[edit]Di%%eren!es $et"een spoen
and "ritten English
As $ith most languages, $ritten language tends to
use a more formal register than spoken language!
&he ac0uisition of literacy takes significant effort in
English!

S(elling- probably the biggest difficulty for non*

nati%e speakers since English spelling doesn.t
follo$ the alphabetic principle consistently!
6ecause of the many changes in pronunciation
$hich ha%e occurred since a $ritten standard
de%eloped, the retention of many historical
idiosyncrasies in spelling, and the large influ1 of
foreign $ords "mainly from Oanish, <orman
French, Classical (atin and 5reek# $ith different
and o%erlapping spelling patterns,
8119
English
spelling is difficult e%en for nati%e speakers to
master! &his difficulty is sho$n in such acti%ities
as spelling bees that generally re0uire the
memori;ation of $ords! &he generali;ations that
e1ist are 0uite comple1 and there are many
e1ceptions leading to a considerable amount
ofrote learning! &he spelling system causes
problems in both directions * a learner may
kno$ a $ord by sound but not be able to $rite it
correctly "or indeed find it in a dictionary#, or
they may see a $ord $ritten but not kno$ ho$
to pronounce it or mislearn the pronunciation!
Io$e%er, despite the %ariety of spelling patterns
in English, there are do;ens of rules that are
@AP or more reliable!
81:9
For )urther discussion o) English s(elling
(atterns and rules, see 1honics.
[edit]&arieties o% English
England, the historical home of English, has
significant regional language differences in
pronunciation, accent, %ocabulary and grammar!
&he thri%ing communities of English nati%e
speakers in countries all o%er the $orld also
ha%e some noticeable differences in
pronunciation, %ocabulary and grammar!
English has no organisation that determines the
most prestigious form of the language * unlike
the French language $hich has the "cademie
de la langue )ran2aise, 'panish
language.s 3eal "cademia Es(a4ola, the
6ra;ilian ?ortuguese Academia 6rasileira de
(etras, or the ,talian "ccademia della Crusca!
&eaching English therefore in%ol%es not only helping
the student to use the form of English most suitable
for his purposes, but also e1posure to regional
forms and cultural styles so that the student $ill be
able to discern meaning e%en $hen the $ords,
grammar or pronunciation are different to the form of
English he is being taught to speak!
[edit]E*ams %or learners
See also: Categor+:English language tests
(earners of English are often keen to get
accreditation and a number of e1ams are kno$n
internationally-
81>9
2ni%ersity of Cambridge E')(
E1aminations offers a suite of eighteen globally
a%ailable e1aminations including 5eneral
English- 3ey English &est "3E&#, ?reliminary
English &est"?E&#, First Certificate in
English "FCE#, Certificate in Ad%anced
English "CAE# and Certificate of ?roficiency in
English "C?E#!
&rinity College (ondon E')( offers ,ntegrated
'kills in English ",'E#, series of A e1ams, $hich
assesses Beading, Writing, 'peaking and
(istening accepted by academic institutions in
the 23! &hey also offer 5raded E1aminations in
'poken English "5E'E#, series of 1: e1ams,
$hich assesses 'peaking and (istening and
E')( 'kills for (ife and E')( for Work e1ams
in the 23 only!
,E(&' ",nternational English (anguage &esting
'ystem#, accepted by academic institutions in
the 23, Australia, <e$ =ealand and Canada,
and by many in the 2'A!
(ondon &ests of English from ?earson
(anguage &ests, a series of si1 e1ams each
mapped to a le%el from the Common European
Frame$ork "CEFB* see belo$#
'econdary (e%el English ?roficiency test
?earson &est of English Academic "?&E
Academic#, a ?earson product, measure
Beading, Writing, 'peaking and (istening as
$ell as 5rammar, )ral Fluency, ?ronunciation,
'pelling, Qocabular and Written Oiscourse! &he
test is computer*based and is designed to
reflect international English for academic
admission into any uni%ersity re0uiring English
proficiency!
&)EF( "&est of English as a Foreign
(anguage#, an Educational &esting
'er%ice product, de%eloped and used primarily
for academic institutions in the 2'A, and no$
$idely accepted in tertiary institutions in
Canada, <e$ =ealand, Australia, the 23, and
,reland! &he current test is an ,nternet*based
test, and is thus kno$n as the &)EF( i6&! 2sed
as a pro1y for English for Academic ?urposes!
&)E,C "&est of English for ,nternational
Communication#, an Educational &esting
'er%ice product for 6usiness English used by
1E,EEE organi;ations in 1:E countries! ,ncludes
a (istening N Beading test as $ell as a
'peaking N Writing test introduced in selected
countries beginning in :EEF!
Workplace English &est
?rograms "E<EB5,=EB'#, E<EB5,=EB' Wor
kplace English is a combination of employee
English training and testing plus business
English communication! Current assessment
instruments and testing programs include three
radically inno%ati%e business English as a
second language tests "spoken English# and
certificates- 6usiness English &est * 5ate$ay
"A1MA:#, Iigher "61, 6:#, ?ro "C1MC:#!
'uccessful candidates are a$arded Certificates
"IonorsM?ass# $hich may be useful for-
6usiness, Education, Iiring, Career
Ad%ancement! IB departments around the
$orld ha%e decided on 6usiness English &ests
"6E&# to select, place, monitor progress and
moti%ate personnel because 6E& tests are-
?rofessional N Authentic "IB tool research N
e%idence*based, designed, de%eloped and
administered by E<EB5,=EB', a truly global
ad%isory bouti0ue N market leader in e1pert IB,
home to F2(6B,5I& 'cholars and faculty from
top*ranked uni%ersities in the 2' N E2#,
Energi;ing N Candidate*Friendly "6oosting skills
N confidence#, Qalid "?erformance on the
measure is related to $hat the measure is
designed to assess#, Beliable "Measurement is
free from random error+ tests generating
consistent results# and a%ailable )n Oemand
"Whene%er N $here%er re0uired#!
Many countries also ha%e their o$n e1ams! E')(
learners in England, Wales and <orthern ,reland
usually take the national 'kills for (ife 0ualifications,
$hich are offered by se%eral e1am boards! EF(
learners in China may take the College English &est!
,n 5reece English students may take the ?A(')
"?anIellenic Association of (anguage 'chool
)$ners# e1ams!
[edit]The Common European
Frame"or
6et$een 199 and :EEE, the Council of
Europe.s language policy di%ision de%eloped
its Common European Frame$ork of Beference for
(anguages! &he aim of this frame$ork $as to ha%e
a common system for foreign language testing and
certification, to co%er all European languages and
countries!
&he Common European Frame$ork "CEF# di%ides
language learners into three le%els-
A! 6asic 2ser
6! ,ndependent 2ser
C! ?roficient 2ser
Each of these le%els is di%ided into t$o sections,
resulting in a total of si1 le%els for testing "A1, A:,
61, etc!#!
&his table compares E(& e1ams according to the
CEF le%els-
C
E
F

L
e
v
e
l
AL
TE
Lev
el
N
QF
Le
vel
P
T
E
G
en
er
al
TC
L
ES
OL
GE
SE
TC
L
ES
O
LI
SE
UB
EL
Tex
am
IE
L
T
S
Ca
mbr
idge
ES
OL
BU
LAT
S
Cam
bridg
e
ESO
L BE
C
disam
biguation
needed!
Ca
mbr
idge
ES
OL
Gen
eral
Ca
mb
rid
ge
ES
OL
"L
E
Ca
mb
rid
ge
ES
OL
S#i
lls
$or
Li$
e
[1
]
C
%
5e-
el '
5e
-el
3
5e
-e
l '
%ra
de
12
:&
.9-
'.9
7.
'-
8.
9
89-
199
n;a )$En;a n;a
C
&
5e-
el
5e
-el
2
5e
-e
l
%ra
de
19<
11
:::
3.9-
3.'
4.
9-
7.
9
4'-
78
=ighe
r
)2
E
n;a
5e-
el 2
B
%
5e-
el 3
5e
-el
1
5e
-e
l 3
%ra
de
4<7<
8
::
2.9-
2.'
'.
'
-
1.
'
19-
4
&anta
ge
*)En;a
5e-
el 1
B
&
5e-
el 2
Ent
ry
3
5e
-e
l 2
%ra
de
'<1
: 1.'
.
9
-
'.
9
9-
'8
$reli
minar
y
$ET n;a
Ent
ry 3
A
%
5e-
el 1
Ent
ry
2
5e
-e
l 1
%ra
des
3<
9 1.9
n;
a
29-
38
n;a
0E
T
*ly
ers
Ent
ry 2
A
&
/re
akt
hro
ugh
Ent
ry
1
5e
-e
l
2
1
%ra
de
2
n;a
>1.
9
n;
a
9-18 n;a n;a
?o
-er
s
Ent
ry 1
[edit]/uali%i!ations %or tea!hers
[edit]0on-nati'e speaers
Most people $ho teach English are in fact not nati%e
speakers of that language! &hey are state
school teachers in countries around the $orld, and
as such they hold the rele%ant teaching
0ualification of their country, usually $ith a
speciali;ation in teaching English! For e1ample,
teachers in Iong 3ong hold the (anguage
?roficiency Assessment for &eachers! &hose $ho
$ork in pri%ate language schools may, from
commercial pressures, ha%e the same 0ualifications
as nati%e speakers "see belo$#! Widespread
problems e1ist of minimal 0ualifications and poor
0uality pro%iders of training, and as the industry
becomes more professional, it is trying to self*
regulate to eliminate these!
81A9
[edit]#nited States .uali%i!ations
Most 2!'! instructors at community
colleges and uni%ersities 0ualify by taking a Master
of Arts"MA# in &E')(
8citation needed9
! &his degree also
0ualifies them to teach in most EF( conte1ts! ,n
some areas of the 2nited 'tates, a gro$ing number
of elementary school teachers are in%ol%ed in
teaching E((s "English (anguage (earners, that is,
children $ho come to school speaking a home
language other than English!# &he 0ualifications for
these classroom teachers %ary from state to state
but al$ays include a state*issued teaching
certificate for public instruction! &his state licensing
re0uires substantial practical e1perience as $ell as
course $ork! &he MA in &E')( typically includes
both graduate $ork in English as one of the
classical liberal arts"literature, linguistics, media
studies# $ith a theoretical component in language
pedagogy! Admission to the MA in &E')( typically
re0uires at least a bachelor.s degree $ith a minor in
English or linguistics, or, sometimes, a degree in
a foreign language instead!
,t is important to note that the issuance of a teaching
certificate or license is not automatic follo$ing
completion of degree re0uirements! All teachers
must complete a battery of e1ams "typically
the ?ra1is sub4ect and method e1ams or similar,
state*sponsored e1ams# as $ell as super%ised
instruction as student teachers! )ften, E'(
certification can be obtained through e1tra college
course$ork! E'( certifications are usually only %alid
$hen paired $ith an already e1isting teaching
certificate! Certification re0uirements for E'(
teachers %ary greatly from state to state+ out*of*state
teaching certificates are recogni;ed if the t$o states
ha%e a reciprocity agreement!
[edit]1ritish .uali%i!ations
Common, respected 0ualifications for teachers
$ithin the 2nited 3ingdom.s sphere of influence
include certificates and diplomas issued by &rinity
College (ondon E')( and 2ni%ersity of Cambridge
E')( "henceforth &rinity and Cambridge#!
A certificate course is usually undertaken before
starting to teach! &his is sufficient for most EF( 4obs
"see &EF( for an e1tended discussion of tra%el*
teaching# and for some E')(
ones!Cert&E')( "Certificate in &eaching English to
'peakers of )ther (anguages#, issued by &rinity,
and CE(&A "Certificate in English (anguage
&eaching to Adults#, issued by Cambridge, are the
most $idely taken and accepted 0ualifications for
ne$ teacher trainees! Courses are offered in the 23
and in many countries around the $orld! ,t is usually
taught full*time o%er a one*month period or part*time
o%er a period up to a year!
&eachers $ith t$o or more years of teaching
e1perience $ho $ant to stay in the profession and
ad%ance their career prospects "including school
management and teacher training# can take a
diploma course! &rinity offers the &rinity (icentiate
Oiploma in &eaching English to 'peakers of )ther
(anguages "Oip&E')(# and Cambridge offers the
Oiploma in English (anguage &eaching to Adults
"OE(&A#! &hese diplomas are considered to be
e0ui%alent and are both accredited at le%el @ of the
re%ised <ational Hualifications Frame$ork! 'ome
teachers $ho stay in the profession go on to do
an MA in a rele%ant discipline such as applied
linguistics or E(&! Many 23 master.s
degrees re0uire considerable e1perience in the field
before a candidate is accepted onto the course!
&he abo%e 0ualifications are $ell*respected $ithin
the 23 EF( sector, including pri%ate language
schools and higher education language pro%ision!
Io$e%er, in England and Wales, in order to meet
the go%ernment.s criteria for being a 0ualified
teacher of E')( in the (earning and 'kills 'ector
"i!e! post*compulsory or further education#, teachers
need to ha%e the Certificate in Further Education
&eaching 'tage > at le%el A "of the re%ised <HF#
and the Certificate for E')( 'ub4ect 'pecialists at
le%el D! Becognised 0ualifications $hich confer one
or both of these include a?ostgraduate Certificate in
Education "?5CE# in E')(, the CE(&A module :
and City N 5uilds9D! &eachers of any
sub4ect $ithin the 6ritish state sector are normally
e1pected to hold a ?5CE, and may choose to
specialise in E(&!
[edit]South 2orea .uali%i!ations
This section does not 'ite an( re$eren'es
or so)r'es. $lease help impro-e this section
by adding citations to reliable sources.
Unsourced material may
be challenged and remo-ed.(June 2011)
&o teach English in the Bepublic of 3orea as an E'(
teacher, one must be a nati%e speaker from an
English*speaking country! &his includes the 2nited
3ingdom, 2nited 'tates of America, Canada,
Australia, <e$ =ealand, <igeria, Camaica, 5hana,
'outh Africa, and ,reland!
)ne must ha%e a 6achelor.s or Master.s degree in
any field and must complete 1E years of education
in one of the ten accepted countries "from grade F to
uni%ersity#! )ne must ha%e no criminal record "minor
offenses such as traffic %iolations $ill be e1amined
by the immigration office as $ell#!
&eaching e1perience or language certificates
"&E')(M&EF(M&E'(MCE(&A# are not re0uired, but
$ould be an aiding factor!
[edit]Chile .uali%i!ations
<ati%e speakers $ill often be able to find $ork as an
English teacher in Chile $ithout an E'( teaching
certificate! Io$e%er, many pri%ate institutes gi%e
preference to teachers $ith a &EF(, CE(&A or
&)E'( certificate! &he Chilean Ministry of
Education also sponsors the English )pens
Ooors program, $hich recruits nati%e English
speakers to come $ork as teaching assistants in
Chilean public schools! English )pens Ooors
re0uires only a 6achelors degree in order to be
considered for acceptance!
[edit]Pro%essional asso!iations
and unions
&E')( ,nc! is &eachers of English to 'peakers
of )ther (anguages, a professional
organi;ation based in the 2nited 'tates! ,n
addition, there are many large state*$ide and
regional affiliates, see belo$!
,A&EF( is the ,nternational Association of
&eachers of English as a Foreign (anguage, a
professional organi;ation based in the 2nited
3ingdom!
?rofessional organisations for teachers of
English e1ist at national le%els! Many contain
phrases in their title such as the
Capan Asso!iation %or Language
Tea!hing "CA(&#,&E')( 5reece in 5reece, or
the 'ociety of ?akistan English Language
Tea!hers"'?E(&#! 'ome of these organisations
may be bigger in structure "supra*national, such
as &E')( Arabia in the 5ulf states#, or smaller
"limited to one city, state, or pro%ince, such
asCA&E')( in California#! 'ome are affiliated
to &E')( or ,A&EF(!
<A&EC(A is the <ational Association for
&eaching English and other Community
(anguages to Adults, $hich focuses on teaching
E')( in the 2nited 3ingdom!
<ational 2nion of 5eneral Workers is
a Capanese union $hich includes English
teachers!
2ni%ersity and College 2nion is a 6ritish trade
union $hich includes lecturers of E(&!
[edit]A!ronyms and
a$$re'iations
See also: (anguage education for information on
general language teaching acronyms and
abbre%iations!
[edit]Types o% English
1E * 6usiness English
EAL * English as an additional language! &he
use of this term is restricted to certain countries!
'ee the discussion in &erminology and types!
EAP * English for academic purposes
EFL * English as a foreign language! English for
use in a non*English*speaking region, by
someone $hose first language is not English!
'ee the discussion in &erminology and types!
EIL * English as an international language "see
main article at ,nternational English#
ELF * English as a lingua franca
ELL * English language learner! &he use of this
term is restricted to certain countries! 'ee the
discussion in &erminology and types!
ELT * English language teaching! &he use of
this term is restricted to certain countries! 'ee
the discussion in &erminology and types!
ESL * English as a second language! English
for use in an English*speaking region, by
someone $hose first language is not English!
&he use of this term is restricted to certain
countries! 'ee the discussion in &erminology
and types!
ESOL * English for speakers of other
languages! &his term is used differently in
different countries! 'ee the discussion
in &erminology and types!
ESP * English for specific purposes, or English
for special purposes "e!g! technical English,
scientific English, English for medical
professionals, English for $aiters#!
EST * English for science and technology "e!g!
technical English, scientific English#!
TEFL * &eaching English as a foreign language!
&his link is to a page about a subset of &EF(,
namely tra%el*teaching! More generally, see the
discussion in &erminology and types!
TESL * &eaching English as a second language!
&he use of this term is restricted to certain
countries! 'ee the discussion in &erminology
and types!
TESOL * &eaching English to speakers of other
languages, or &eaching English as a second or
other language! 'ee the discussion
in &erminology and types!
T3LE * &eaching Young (earners English! <ote
that /Young (earners/ can mean under 1, or
much younger!
[edit]Other a$$re'iations
1#LATS * 6usiness (anguage &esting
'er%ices, a computer*based test of business
English, produced by CambridgeEsol! &he test
also e1ists for French, 5erman, and 'panish!
CELT * Certificate in English (anguage
&eaching, certified by the <ational Hualifications
Authority of ,reland "ACE('#!
CELTA * Certificate in English (anguage
&eaching to Adults
CELT3L * Certificate in English (anguage
&eaching to Young (earners
DELTA * Oiploma in English (anguage &eaching
to Adults
ECPE * E1amination for the Certificate of
?roficiency in English
IELTS * ,nternational English (anguage &esting
'ystem
LTE * (ondon &ests of English by ?earson
(anguage &ests
TOEFL * &est of English as a Foreign (anguage
TOEIC * &est of English for ,nternational
Communication
#CLES * 2ni%ersity of Cambridge (ocal
E1aminations 'yndicate, an e1am board
[edit]See also
[edit]Language terminology
Foreign language
'econd language
'tandard Marine Communication ?hrases
5lossary of language teaching terms and ideas
[edit](eneral language tea!hing and
learning
Applied linguistics
Contrasti%e rhetoric
(anguage education
'econd language ac0uisition
[edit]English language tea!hing and
learning
English (anguage ,nstitute an educational
facility
<on*nati%e pronunciations of English
'tructured English ,mmersion, a frame$ork for
teaching English language learners in public
schools
&eaching English as a Foreign
(anguage "&EF(#, for an e1tended discussion
of tra%el*teaching
(: collaborati%e $riting
[edit]Contemporary English
American and 6ritish English differences
English language
English studies
,nternational English
[edit]English Language S!hools
English (anguage &eachers Association819
Oisco%er English
5aba Corporation
EC English (anguage 'chools
)1ford ,ntensi%e 'chool of English
Community English ?rogram
(e1is English * Australia
[edit]Other
&each English in Chile
English as a 'econd (anguage ?odcast
,nternational (anguage Academy of
Canada "English (anguage Academy $ith
campuses in &oronto and Qancou%er Canada#
/(et.s 'peak English/ "C6C tele%ision series#
(ist of countries by English*speaking population
Bo?eCast * an E'( podcast pro4ect
Buth Iayman * E'( pioneer
&he 'tudents. English Oebating Association
"'EOA#, &singhua 2ni%ersity
EF English ?roficiency ,nde1 * ,nde1 of English
proficiency skills across countries
[edit]Di!tionaries and 4esour!es
Ad%anced learner.s dictionary
[show]- * d * eESL
[show]- * d * eTo+i's in ed)'ation
[edit]4e%eren!es and notes
1! 5 http-MM$$$!chinese*EF(*4ournal!com
:! 5 http-MM$$$!iranian*efl*4ournal!com
>! 5 &he 6asic 'kills Agency
D! 5 'askatche$an (earning
A! 5 Cf! )gden, Charles 3! "19>D#, The S+stem
o) 5asic English, <e$ York- Iarcourt, 6race
N Co!, and &empler, 6ill ":EEA#, R&o$ards a
?eopleSs English- 6ack to 6A',C in
E,(T, /umanising Language
Teaching 'eptember :EEA!
F! 5 Cf! %an Ek, C!A! M Ale1ander, (!5!
"19E#,Threshold Le6el English, )1ford-
?ergamon!
@! 5 Cf! 5r;ega, Coachim ":EEA#, /Beflection on
Concepts of English for Europe- 6ritish
English, American English, Euro*English,
5lobal English/, Journal )or EuroLinguisti7 :-
DD*FD, and 5r;ega, Coachim
":EEA#, R&o$ards 5lobal English %ia 6asic
5lobal English "65E#- 'ocioeconomic and
?edagogic ,deas for a European and 5lobal
(anguage "$ith Oidactic E1amples for <ati%e
'peakers of 5erman#, Journal )or
EuroLinguisti7:- FA*1FD, and the press
releases accessible %ia the 6asic 5lobal
English $ebsite!
! 5 Cf! Huirk, Bandolph "191#, R,nternational
Communication and the Concept of <uclear
EnglishT, in- 'mith, (arry E! "ed!#,English )or
Cross.Cultural Communication, 1A1*1FA,
(ondon- Macmillan, and 'tein, 5abriele
"19@9#, R<uclear English- Beflections on the
'tructure of ,ts QocabularyT, 1oetica "&okyo#
1E- FD*@F!
9! 5 Mc3ay, 'haron+ 'chaet;el,
3irsten,Facilitating "dult Learner nteractions
to 5uild Listening and S(ea'ing S'ills,
CAE(A <et$ork 6riefs, CAE(A and Center
for Applied (inguistics, Culy :EE
1E! 5 Cin, (!, N Corta;;i, M! "199#! /&he culture
the learner brings- A bridge or a barrierU ,n M!
6yram N M! Fleming "Eds!#, (anguage
learning in intercultural perspecti%e-
Approaches through drama and ethnography!
Cambridge, England- Cambridge 2ni%ersity
?ress!
11! 5 Mc5uinness, Oiane! ":EED#! Earl+ 3eading
nstruction Cambridge- M,& ?ress D1!
1:! 5 Abbott, M! ":EEE#! ,dentifying reliable
generali;ations for spelling $ords- &he
importance of multile%el analysis! &he
Elementary 'chool Cournal 1E1":#, :>>*:DA!
1>! 5 'ources for this are found at the uni%ersity
$ebsites! 5i%en that there are thousands of
tertiary institutions that accept one or more of
these for entrance re0uirements, they simply
can not be footnoted indi%idually here
1D! 5http-MM$$$!cambridgeesol!orgMe1amsMgener
al*englishMsflMle%els!html
1A! 5 /&E')( Certificates! &eaching or Oecei%ing
the EF(ME'( &eaching ?rofession/ by &om
Oa%idson, March :EE %olume : TES!L La&
Journal
[edit]Further reading
(a ?erla, Coann, /)rder, Chaos and 5entle
Be%olutions- A 6rief and ?ersonal Iistory of
E'( ,nstruction for ,mmigrants/, 19F*1E*:A,
paper presented at 2nion County College.s
conference, /(iterature and the ,mmigrant
E1perience/ "Cranford, <C, )ctober :A, 19F#!
Meunier, Fanny+ 5ranger,
'yl%iane, /?hraseology in foreign language
learning and teaching/, Amsterdam and
?hiladelphia- Cohn 6en4amins ?ublishing
Company, :EE
5race Iui Chin (in N ?atricia C! (arke ":EE@#!
English Education in &e1as, 2'A
Vhttp-MMtai$anaggies!comMnodeMA:>W
[edit]E*ternal lins
,nternational Association of &eachers of English
as a Foreign (anguage
<CE(A * <ational Clearinghouse for English
(anguage Ac0uisition
66C World 'er%ice * (earning English
&E')(academic!org * Qideo talks from leaders
in the field and others about issues in &E')(
English as a 'econd (anguage at the )pen
Oirectory ?ro4ect
Qie$ page ratings