Vol. 4 Issue 23 – Research Paper: ‘English for Specific Purpose: A Language Programme for the Skilled Professionals’ by Chirag Dhandhukiya

This paper has been authored and submitted for publication by Chirag Dhandhukiya.

Introduction

Science and technology have made the significant progress in the twentieth century and there is no doubt that it would dominate the twenty-first century also. With the advent of science, and the invention of new technology the world has witnessed a drastic change, the world has become a local place with modern communication technology and transportation network.

How to Overcome Language Barrier? :

Science has innumerable possibilities and because of that reason it is attracting today’s curious youth towards it. They want to learn it, and add to the existing knowledge through their researches. But often they come across a situation where their growth is restricted because of the language barrier. The major science and technology related works are found in English, and in this field,  the out put is so huge that everything cannot be translated in the vernacular language to support the students need. They come across technical registers which create trouble for them in understanding a  theory or functioning of that particular thing. Since they are dealing with science, they cannot devote their full time learning the English language, and it is not advisable also. Such students can be offered a course of ESP (  English for Specific Purpose). It would save their time and they can use it immediately wherever they need it. So, ESP is a kind of a quick remedy for the students who need English for their specific work only.

What is ESP ?

ESP students are usually adults who already have some acquaintance with English and are learning the language in order to communicate a set of professional skills and to perform particular job-related functions. An ESP program is therefore built on an assessment of purposes and needs and the functions for which English is required.ESP concentrates more on language in context than on teaching grammar and language structures. It covers various subjects like science and technology, medicine, law, commerce, computer science, tourism etc.

While in ESL (English as Second Language)  all four language skills; listening, reading, speaking, and writing, are stressed equally, in ESP, it is a needs analysis that determines which language skills are most needed by the students, and the syllabus is designed accordingly. In the ESP class, students are shown how the subject-matter- content is expressed in English. The teacher can make the most of the students’ knowledge of the subject matter, thus helping them learn English faster.

Thus, the term “specific” in ESP refers to the specific purpose for learning English. Students approach the study of English through a field that is already known and relevant to them. Here, English should be presented in authentic contexts to make the learners acquainted with the particular ways in which the language is used in functions that they will need to perform in their fields of specialty or jobs.

Is ESP different to General English?

                                                                                                       

     Diagram-A

Look at the diagram-A given here of a rocket engine and the names of the different parts. It  is clear that the terminology used would definitely demand a good knowledge of the language. But, does it  mean you need to master the English language to understand this? The answer is NO. ESP is designed based on the need of the learner and it concentrates on a particular field as opposed to General English which is not restricted to any one field. It is the language- a full-fledged language to be learnt for its extensive use in any situation of communication. Here in this case, the language used in science and technology has solution for the language barrier. General English has wider scope with variety of structures, lexis and phonology. ESP is a chosen part of this language designed to target a specific task with the language use.

The Origins of ESP:

Certainly, a great deal about the origins of ESP could be written. Notably, there are three reasons common to the emergence of all ESP: the demands of a Brave New World, a revolution in linguistics, and focus on the learner (Hutchinson & Waters, 1987). Hutchinson and Waters (1987) note that two key historical periods breathed life into ESP. First, the end of the Second World War brought with it an ” … age of enormous and unprecedented expansion in scientific, technical and economic activity on an international scale · for various reasons, most notably the economic power of the United States in the post-war world, the role [of international language] fell to English” (p. 6). Second, the Oil Crisis of the early 1970s resulted in Western money and knowledge flowing into the oil-rich countries. The language of this knowledge became English.

Types of ESP

David Carter (1983) identifies three types of ESP:

• English as a restricted language
• English for Academic and Occupational Purposes
• English with specific topics.

The language used by air traffic controllers or by waiters are examples of English as a restricted language. Mackay and Mountford (1978) clearly illustrate the difference between restricted language and language with this statement:

“… the language of international air-traffic control could be regarded as ‘special’, in the sense that the repertoire required by the controller is strictly limited and can be accurately determined situationally, as might be the linguistic needs of a dining-room waiter or air-hostess. However, such restricted repertoires are not languages, just as a tourist phrase book is not grammar. Knowing a restricted ‘language’ would not allow the speaker to communicate effectively in novel situation, or in contexts outside the vocational environment.”

The second type of ESP identified by Carter (1983) is English for Academic and Occupational Purposes. In the ‘Tree of ELT’ (Hutchinson & Waters, 1987), ESP is broken down into three branches: a) English for Science and Technology (EST), b) English for Business and Economics (EBE), and c) English for Social Studies (ESS). Each of these subject areas is further divided into two branches: English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and English for Occupational Purposes (EOP). An example of EOP for the EST branch is ‘English for Technicians’ whereas an example of EAP for the EST branch is ‘English for Medical Studies’.

Hutchinson and Waters (1987) do note that there is not a clear-cut distinction between EAP and EOP: “· people can work and study simultaneously; it is also likely that in many cases the language learnt for immediate use in a study environment will be used later when the student takes up, or returns to, a job” (p. 16). Perhaps this explains Carter’s rationale for categorizing EAP and EOP under the same type of ESP. It appears that Carter is implying that the end purpose of both EAP and EOP are one in the same: employment. However, despite the end purpose being identical, the means taken to achieve the end is very different indeed. I contend that EAP and EOP are different in terms of focus on Cummins’ (1979) notions of cognitive academic proficiency versus basic interpersonal skills. This is examined in further detail below.

The third and final type of ESP identified by Carter (1983) is English with specific topics. Carter notes that it is only here where emphasis shifts from purpose to topic. This type of ESP is uniquely concerned with anticipated future English needs of, for example, scientists requiring English for postgraduate reading studies, attending conferences or working in foreign institutions. However, I argue that this is not a separate type of ESP. Rather it is an integral component of ESP courses or programs which focus on situational language. This situational language has been determined based on the interpretation of results from needs analysis of authentic language used in target workplace settings.

Definition of ESP (Dudley-Evans, 1997)

Tony Dudley-Evans, co-editor of the ESP Journal, define ESP in terms of ‘absolute’ and ‘variable’ characteristics

 

 

Absolute Characteristics:

1. ESP is defined 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 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

The division of ESP into absolute and variable characteristics, in particular, is very helpful in resolving arguments about what is and is not ESP. From the definition, we can see that ESP can but is not necessarily concerned with a specific discipline, nor does it have to be aimed at a certain age group or ability range. ESP should be seen simple as an ‘approach’ to teaching, or what Dudley-Evans describes as an ‘attitude of mind’. This is a similar conclusion to that made by Hutchinson et al. (1987:19) who state,

“ESP is an approach to language teaching in which all decisions as to content and method are based on the learner’s reason for learning”.

What  is  English for Science and Technology (EST) ?

                                                                                                                                 

                                                      Diagram-B

English for Science and Technology, as the name suggests, is a specific language course for the students of science and technology. Students of Engineering and Technology are the main stakeholders of EST. it is solely deals with the language used in this field. It includes a list of registers from the field and the structures the students need to learn to handle the language with technical terminology as given in the diagram-B. Apart from this, they should also  be trained for Listening Skills ,Professional Speaking Skills (Job interviews, Group Discussion, Debates etc.),oral presentations, Reading Skills ( reading and understanding scientific texts, note-making, predicting the content, skimming, scanning etc.), Professional Writing Skills ( writing Business letters, reports, proposals, projects, technical articles etc.). This can enhance their employability and it can help them in career as a trained professional.

Tom Hutchinson & Alan Waters write in their English for Specific Purposes (1987):

“The EST teacher needed to do more than to reveal the truth about the language of science; his or her class should no longer be seen as a class in applied or practical stylistics….Rather the ESP classroom should lead its occupants towards useful principles which would allow them to cope better with their learning environments, to develop utilizable study habits, to comprehend the process of academic reading and to develop methods of handling authentic materials.”

The Future of ESP

Time is a major factor for growing popularity of the ESP. It is difficult for a learner to learn the whole corpus of English for effective communication. Hence, ESP is prescribed for such learners who need the language for limited technical use or for specific work only. They know that their job involves a little use of language which is centered around fixed registers. Because of this immediate use of language, it has gained popularity, and perhaps they are interested I the end product than the process of learning the language. Whatever may be the reason it is effective in the field of science and technology and other such field and its demand would increase day by day.

Abbreviations:

ELT: English Language Teaching

ESP: English for Specific Purposes

ESL: English as a Second Language

EST : English for  Science and Technology

EFL: English as a Foreign Language

EAP: English for Academic Purposes

EOP: English for Occupational Purposes

Selected References

• Anderson, R., & Ausubel, D. (Eds.). (1965). Readings in the Psychology of Cognition. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
• Anthony, L. (1997). ESP: What does it mean?.
• Dudley-Evans, T., & St John, M. (1998). Developments in ESP: A multi-disciplinary approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Echevarria, J., & Graves, A. (1998). Sheltered content instruction: Teaching English-language learners with diverse abilities. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
• Huang, S., & Shanmao, C. (1996). Self-efficacy of English as a second language learner: An example of four learners. Bloomington, IN: Language Education Department, School of Education, Indiana University. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 396 536)
• Huckin, N. Thomas and Leslie A. Olson, 1983. English for Science and Technology: A Handbook for Nonnative Speakers. Singapore: McGraw-Hill.
• Hutchinson, T., & Waters, A. (1987). English for Specific Purposes: A learning-centered approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Johns, A., & Dudley-Evans, T. (1991). English for Specific Purposes: International in scope, specific in purpose. TESOL Quarterly, 25, 297-314.
• Johnson, R. (Ed.). (1989). The second language curriculum. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Jones, G. (1990). ESP textbooks: Do they really exist? English for Specific Purposes, 9, 89-93.
• Krashen, S. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition. Oxford: Pergamon.
• Mackay, R., & Mountford, A. (Eds.). (1978). English for Specific Purposes: A case study approach. London: Longman.
• Mackay, R., & Palmer, J. (Eds.). (1981). Languages for Specific Purposes: Program design and evaluation. London: Newbury House.
• McDonough, J. (1984). ESP in perspective: A practical guide. London: Collins ELT.
• Nunan, D. (1987). The Teacher as Curriculum Developer: An investigation of curriculum processes within the Adult Migrant Education Program. South Australia: National Curriculum Resource Centre.
• Nunan, D. (Ed.). (1992). Collaborative Language Learning and Teaching. New York: Cambridge University Press.
• Rogers, C. (1983). Freedom to learn for the 80’s. Columbus, OH: Charles Merrill.
• Sagliano, M., Stewart, T., & Sagliano, J. (1998). Professional training to develop content-based instruction in higher education. TESL Canada Journal, 16, 36-51.
• Selinker, L., Tarone, E., & Hanzeli, V. (Eds.). (1981). English for Academic and Technical Purposes: Studies in honor of Louis Trimble. London: Newbury House.
• Swales, John.(1985) Episodes in ESP. Oxford: Pergamon Press.
• Taylor, C. (1986). Cultivating simultaneous student growth in both multiple creative talents and knowledge. In J.S. Renzulli (Ed.), Systems and models for developing programs for the gifted and talented (pp. 307-351). Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press.
• VanPatten, B., & Lee, J. (1990). Second language acquisition – Foreign language learning. Avon: Multilingual Matters.
• Widdowson, H.G.(1979) Exploration of Applied Linguistics. Oxford: OUP.
• Yogman, J., & Kaylani, C. (1996). ESP program design for mixed level students. English for Specific Purposes, 15, 311-24.