The Origin of ESP

The Origin of ESP
TERTIARY LEVEL’S PRACTISE LESSON

What’s ESP?
Why ESP?
The demands of a Brave New World
After World War II, the world saw a huge increase in scientific,
technical, and economic activities. This growth was driven by
technology and commerce, leading to a need for a common
international language. English emerged as this global language,
mainly due to the economic influence of the United States.
As a result, people started learning English not just for

the sake of it or for cultural reasons, but because it
was essential for their professional and technical
needs. Unlike before, when learning a language was
seen as a sign of a well-rounded education with no
specific purpose, now English was crucial for various
fields. Business people, engineers, doctors, and
students needed to understand English to access
important information and tools in their areas of
expertise.
A revolution in linguistics
As the demand for specialized English courses increased, new ideas in language
study began to emerge. Traditionally, linguistics focused on describing the rules of
grammar. However, recent research shifted to understanding how language is
actually used in real communication. It was discovered that language varies
significantly depending on the context, such as in commerce versus engineering.
This led to the development of English courses tailored to specific fields. If language
changes based on the situation, then courses could be designed to reflect the
specific needs of different professional areas. Research in the 1960s and 1970s
explored various types of English, like scientific and technical English, and how it
differs from general use. This research laid the foundation for the approach known
as English for Specific Purposes (ESP), which focuses on teaching the kind of English
needed for particular jobs or fields. The principle became: "Tell me what you need
English for, and I will tell you the English you need."
New insights from educational psychology also played a key
role in the rise of English for Specific Purposes (ESP).
Researchers began to emphasize the importance of
understanding learners' needs and attitudes, recognizing that
Focus on these factors significantly impact motivation and learning

effectiveness.
the To address this, ESP courses were designed to be highly

relevant to learners' specific fields of interest. For example,
learner Biology students would use texts related to Biology in their

English courses. The idea was that this relevance would boost
motivation and make learning more efficient.
In summary, the growth of ESP was driven by three main

factors: the increasing need for specialized English,
advancements in linguistics, and new findings in educational
psychology. All these elements highlighted the importance of
tailoring language learning to specific needs.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF ESP
ESP has developed at different speeds in different countries.

There was one area of activity that has been particularly important
in this development.
It is also known as EST, English for Sceince and Technology.
To elaborate the development of ESP we need to undergone in the

five phases that emerged throught time.
1 - THE CONCEPT OF SPECIAL LANGUAGE: REGISTER ANALYSIS
1960S - 1970S
The aim of the analysis was to identify the grammatical and lexical
features of these registers (Electrical engineering - Biology, etc)
By doing that it could be possible to produce a syllabus which gave
priority to the language forms students would meet in their science
studies.
They started doing this because they had found that school textbooks
neglected some of the language forms commonly found in Science
books.
2 - beyond the sentence: rhetorical or discourse analysis
The second phase of development focused to the level above sentence

level. Now attention shifted to understanding how sentences were
combined in discourse to produce meaning.
To identify the organizational patterns in texts and to specify the
linguistic means by which these patterns are signaled. All these
patterns represented the syllabus.
3 - TARGET SITUATION ANALYSIS
The target situation analysis is also known as the learner-centered
approach. In this phase, ESP was based on the reasons why student
learn English.
The purpose of an ESP course focused on target situation analysis:
To enable learners to function adequately in a target situation, that is

the situation in which the learners will use the language they are
learning.
To identify the target situation.
To carry out a rigorous analysis of its linguistic features.

4 - Skills and strategies
The principal idea behind the skill-centered approach is that

underlying all language use. there are common reasoning and
interpreting processes which enable learners to extract meaning from
discourse.
The focus should be on the underlying interpretive strategies which
enable learners to cope with the surface forms:
Guessing the meaning of words from context.
Using visual layout to determine the type of text.
This approach generally concentrates on reading and listening
strategies, the characteristic exercises get the learners to reflect on
and analyse how meaning is produced in and retrieved from written
or spoken
5. A learning-centered approach
All of the stages outlined before have been fundamentally flawed, in that they are all
based on descriptions of language use.
Hutchinson and Waters mention at this point that their concern in ESP is not with
language use , their concern is with language learning.
For the authors a truly valid approach to ESP must be based on an understanding of the
process of language learning.
The learning centred approach correspond to the the fifth satage.Hutchinson and Waters
stress the significance of placing learners at the center of the educational process.
ESP:Approach not product

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The Origin of ESP

TERTIARY LEVEL’S PRACTISE LESSON

As a result, people started learning English not just for

Focus on these factors significantly impact motivation and learning

the To address this, ESP courses were designed to be highly

learner Biology students would use texts related to Biology in their

In summary, the growth of ESP was driven by three main

ESP has developed at different speeds in different countries.

To elaborate the development of ESP we need to undergone in the

The second phase of development focused to the level above sentence

To enable learners to function adequately in a target situation, that is

To identify the target situation.

To carry out a rigorous analysis of its linguistic features.

The principal idea behind the skill-centered approach is that

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