English for Specific Purpose

English for Specific Purposes

(ESP)

Rudi Hadi Suwarno

Abstract

This paper first defines the 'English for Specific Purposes' (ESP). Meaning of ESP is a learner-centred approach to teaching English as an additional language, which focuses on developing communicative competence in a specific discipline. In this paper, fourth parts are addressed: 1) The definition of ESP, 2) The differences of ESP and EGP, 3) The purpose of learning ESP, and 4) Some examples of ESP material to learn. The aim of this paper is to show understanding of ESP (English for Specific Purpose).

INTRODUCTION

The study of the English language is very important nowadays. It is the basis for better communication between people either specialists or not. Today English is the channel for technical progress as it enables the rapid exchange of information and research of the common global problems. Any specialist of any science field should properly use both ESP and EGP in order to communicate any specialized and nonspecialized subject for professionally oriented activities.

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is a learner-centred approach to teaching English as an additional language, which focuses on developing communicative competence in a specific discipline, such as accounting, business, education, engineering, IT technology, academic writing and learning.  Students are also exposed to Indonesian business or academic culture and real world communication practice. According Hutchinson and Waters (1987, p. 19) as cited in Tsao (2011, p. 129) defined ESP as "an approach to language teaching in which all decisions as to content and method are based on the learner's reason for learning".

The situation in the Indonesian context is even more complicated as there is not even a separation between ESP and English for General Purposes (EGP) when it comes to syllabuses and methodology, and who is better trained to teach what. Needs assessment, which is a major component of ESP, never exists, and, if does, it is never systematic, but rather based on teachers' instuitions.

The aim of this paper is to shed light on some of the major aspects of ESP discussed in the literature to reach a better understanding of this kind of English teaching. The first section definition of ESP, and then the differences of ESP, the purpose of learning ESP, and the last are some examples of ESP material to learn.

DISCUSSION

2.1 The Definition of ESP

According Hutchinson and Waters (1987, p. 19) as cited in Tsao (2011, p. 129) defined ESP as "an approach to language teaching in which all decisions as to content and method are based on the learner's reason for learning". In the view of Chen (1993, p. 80), ESP is “a major specialization within the discipline of English language teaching”. Still, others specified ESP as the teaching of English for academic studies, or for vocational or professional purposes, as opposed to EGP, English for general knowledge and skills (Brunton, 2009; Carver, 1983; Hyland, 2006).

            Peter Strevens (1988, pp.1-2) as cited in Valeria (2010, p. 49) defines English for Specific Purposes (ESP) by making a distinction between its absolute and its variable characteristics. He considers as absolute characteristics the following. ESP –the English language teaching is:

·           Designed to meet specified needs of the learner;

·           Related in content (i.e. themes and topics) to particular disciplines, occupations and activities;

·           Centred on the language appropriate for those activities in syntax, lexis, discourse and semantics;

·           In contrast with General English.

Robinson (1991) as cited in Valeria (2010, p. 50) defines ESP on the basis of two criteria:

1.        ESP is normally “goal-directed” and

2.        ESP courses develop from a needs analysis which aims to specify what exactly it is that students have to do through the medium of English, and from a number of characteristics which explain that ESP courses are generally constrained by a limited period of time in which their objectives have to be achieved and taught to adults in homogenous classes in terms of the work or specialist studies.

According to Day and Krzanowski (2011, p. 5) ESP (English for Specific Purposes) involves teaching and learning the specific skills and language needed by particular learners for a particular purpose.

Based on the explanation above English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is a learner-centred approach to teaching English as an additional language, which focuses on developing communicative competence in a specific discipline, such as accounting, business, education, engineering, IT technology, academic writing and learning.

2.2              The Differences of ESP with General English

The question of the difference between ESP and EGP has been addressed in the literature in terms of theory and practice. Hutchinson and Waters (1987) state that there is no difference between the two in theory; however, there is a great deal of difference in practice. ESP differs from EGP in the sense that the words and sentences learned and the subject matter discussed are all relevant to a particular field or discipline. The design of syllabuses for ESP is directed towards serving the needs of learners seeking for or developing themselves in a particular occupation or specializing in a specific academic field. ESP courses make use of vocabulary tasks related to the field such as negotiation skills and effective techniques for oral presentations. A balance is created between educational theory and practical considerations. ESP also increases learners' skills in using English.

A deeper investigation, however, of the difference between the two is required. English for General Purposes (EGP) is essentially the English language education in junior and senior high schools. Learners are introduced to the sounds and symbols of English, as well as to the lexical/grammatical/rhetorical elements that compose spoken and written discourse. There is no particular situation targeted in this kind of language learning. Rather, it focuses on applications in general situations: appropriate dialogue with restaurant staff, bank tellers, postal clerks, telephone operators, English teachers, and party guests as well as lessons on how to read and write the English typically found in textbooks, newspapers, magazines, etc. EGP curriculums also include cultural aspects of the second language. EGP conducted in English-speaking countries is typically called ESL, and EGP conducted in non-English-speaking countries is normally called EFL. EGP is typically viewed as a level that precedes higher-level instruction in ESP if ESP programs are to yield satisfactory results.

Thus, ESP is centred on the language appropriate to the activities of a given discipline. According to Hutchinson and Waters (1987, p. 19) as cited in Tsao (2011, p. 129), "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."

2.3              The Purpose of Learning ESP

The main objective of teaching and learning a foreign language is to provide the learners with communicative competence, linguistic competence and cultural competence. Basturkmen (2006) describes five objectives in teaching ESP. They are:

1. To reveal subject-specific language use aims to show how English is used in the target environment and to impart to students the knowledge about it that has been revealed by linguistic research in the field. This objective is linked to the linguistic knowledge objective and to a lesser extent, the cultural knowledge objective.

2. To develop target performance competencies focus on developing the ability to perform the activities of an occupation and function to the standard expected to those employed in that occupation. Courses are organized around core skills and competencies that are also subdivided into micro skills and more specific competencies.

3. To teach underlying knowledge. Using a second or foreign language for a workplace or study purposes requires not only linguistic proficiency and knowledge but also knowledge and understanding of work-related and disciplinary concepts; underlying competencies refers to disciplinary concepts from the students’ field of study.

4. To develop strategic competence. The link between context of situation and language knowledge and can be defined as the means that enables language knowledge and content knowledge to be used in communication.

5. To foster critical awareness. Enabling students to become accepted members of those target environments, and all have a shared understanding that ESP can best help students attain this end by helping them develop the skill and knowledge they need to produce acceptable language in those environment.

2.4              Some Examples of ESP Material to Learn

1.                  Listening

Listening comprehension, although vital for communication in English, is usually the most neglected of the language skills in English programs. As a native speaker, we have a unique advantage in developing listening comprehension skills in our students. Everything that we say in the classroom can be useful in developing the students' listening abilities.

To be effective, however, our spoken communications with the class must be comprehensible. Language which is not understood is just "noise" and does not lead to student language acquisition. For this reason, it is important for us to gauge our students' level of comprehension and adjust our speech to reflect their understanding. we should spend some time at the beginning of our course to be sure we are understood. Our students may be accustomed to hearing a British accent, for example, and may need time to adjust to us. Look at our students carefully as we talk to get cues about their comprehension. Check comprehension frequently by asking questions about content which require listening comprehension, or by asking for questions or comments.

The cloze exercise is a good way to check the students' listening comprehension. Give them a short passage with some words deleted. Read the passage aloud twice. If they are unable to fill in the missing words, they are unable to make sense of the passage. Other ways of using cloze exercises include deleting articles or verbs, for example, if we are working on these forms, to focus students' attention on these language structures. The tape recorder is a valuable asset to the language teacher.

2.                  Reading

Reading is the primary channel through which our students will progress in English after our course is over. A good reading program provides instruction in the skills required at various levels of reading, along with plenty of practice in this skill, which can only be developed through extensive and continual practice. Two types of skills are needed in reading: simple identification skills, (decoding) and higher level cognitive skills such as analyzing, synthesizing, and predicting. The reading program should work on two levels to develop both types of skill.

In order to do this, the program should incorporate two types of reading tasks: intensive and extensive. Intensive reading is close analysis of a short passage and can be used to develop vocabulary, grammar skills, and comprehension. Extensive reading is faster reading of longer passages to develop understanding of writers' organizational strategies, to improve reading speed, and to focus on main ideas.

3.                  Writing and Grammar

Understanding and communicating in English is within the students' reach even if they don't understand the fine points of grammar. The ability to function in English is not directly linked to accuracy of grammatical use or pronunciation. Students need to be encouraged to use English even if they make mistakes. The main purpose of language use, after all, is communication.

Some instruction in grammar is necessary, however. Especially in written work, learning grammar rules can help students to recognize and correct their errors. In preparing to teach grammar, be sure we have a good understanding of the structures that we want to teach, so that presentation is clear. It is also important that students be able to use the grammar they practice. One way to ensure that students can make effective use of what they learn is to teach grammar in conjunction with writing, the skill in which it can best be practiced. In speaking, we do not usually have the time to remember and apply rules of grammar, but in writing we have ample opportunity to monitor our usage. It is in writing that grammar instruction is most useful. The grammatical forms which are most useful and most learnable are those which control sentence-level functions such as question form, negation, relative clause formation and other structures involved in subordination and coordination. These features are more important than correct usage of articles or other no sentence-level features. Focusing on paragraph features such as, tense continuity across clauses, parallel structure, and connectors, will help students in reading comprehension as well

4.                  Speaking

Assesment need will determine whether the development of speaking skill is a goal in ESP class. For many ESP situations, development of speaking skills may be beyond the scope of what it is possible for teacher to provide every student with practice in speaking is an inefficient use of classroom time. Discussion groups are notoriously difficult to manage. Students rarely listen to each other talk and conversation degenerates into one student after another saying unrelated things. If teaching speaking skills is one of the objectives; for example, in an ESP class in English for Tourism, we will need to select activities that reflect the real functions for which the students will use English.

Pronunciation is often overstressed in language teaching and should play a restricted role in the class, and also Role playing is an effective way to stimulate conversation in the classroom. We can use flowcharts to outline a situation which  want to use as a base for developing students' speaking skills.

CONCLUSION

This paper explain the concepts of ESP, According Hutchinson and Waters (1987, p. 19) as cited in Tsao (2011, p. 129) defined ESP as "an approach to language teaching in which all decisions as to content and method are based on the learner's reason for learning". ESP differs from EGP in the sense that the words and sentences learned and the subject matter discussed are all relevant to a particular field or discipline. The purpose of learning ESP that to reveal subject-specific language, to develop target performance competencies, to teach underlying knowledge, to develop strategic competence, and to foster critical awareness. Some examples of ESP material to learn such as listening, reading, speaking, writing, grammar.

Teachers nowadays, however, are much more aware of the importance of needs analysis, and materials writers think very carefully about the goals of learners at all stages of materials production. Perhaps this demonstrates the influence that the ESP approach has had on English teaching in general. Clearly the line where General English courses stop and ESP courses start has become very vague indeed.

REFERENCES

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http://www.esp-world.info/Articles24/An%20account%20of%20ESP.pdf

Carver, D. (1983). Some propositions about ESP. The ESP Journal, 2, 131-137. Retrieved May 1, 2013 from

http://www.espworld.info/Articles_22/esp%20essay%20for%20publication.html.

Chen, Y. H. (2008). Chuanchouhwa shihtai yingyu de weilai─yingyu tsowei dieryuyen de hsuehhsi tseluei. [The future of English in the globalized age learning strategies for English as the second language]. English Career, 27, 21-27.

Day, J and Krzanowski, M. (2011). Teaching English for Specific Purpose an Introduction. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press.

Hutchinson, T., & Waters, A. 1987. English for Specific Purposes: A learning-centered approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Tsao, C. H. (2008). English-learning motivation and needs analysis: a case study of technological university students in Taiwan. Paper presented at the Basic Research Conference of Chinese Military Academy on its 84th school anniversary. May 6, 2008. Fongshang, Taiwan.

Valeria, A. (2010). A General View on the Relationship between ESP and EGP. Proffesional Communication and Translation Studies. Vol. 3. (1-2) / 2010 Politehnica University Timisoara.