www.English-Learners.

com

Types of English

Acronyms and abbreviations

BE - Business English EAL - English as an additional language. The use of this term is restricted to certain countries. EAP - English for academic purposes EFL - English as a foreign language. English for use in a non-Englishspeaking region, by someone whose first language is not English. EIL English as an international language (see main article at International English) ELF - English as a lingua franca ELL - English language learner. The use of this term is restricted to certain countries. ELT - English language teaching. The use of this term is restricted to certain countries. ESL - English as a second language. English for use in an English-speaking region, by someone whose first language is not English. The use of this term is restricted to certain countries. ESOL - English for speakers of other languages. This term is used differently in different countries. ESP - English for special purposes, or English for specific purposes (e.g. technical English, scientific English, English for medical professionals, English for waiters). EST - English for science and technology (e.g. technical English, scientific English). TEFL - Teaching English as a foreign language. This link is to a page about a subset of TEFL, namely travel-teaching. More generally, TESL - Teaching English as a second language. The use of this term is restricted to certain countries TESOL - Teaching English to speakers of other languages, or Teaching English as a second or other language. TYLE - Teaching Young Learners English. Note that "Young Learners" can mean under 18, or much younger.

Other abbreviations
BULATS - Business Language Testing Services, a computer-based test of business English, produced by CambridgeEsol. The test also exists for French, German, and Spanish. CELTA - Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults DELTA - Diploma in English Language Teaching to Adults IELTS - International English Language Testing System LTE - London Tests of English by Pearson Language Tests TOEFL - Test of English as a Foreign Language TOEIC - Test of English for International Communication UCLES - University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, an exam board

BE - Business English
Business English is English especially related to international trade. It is a specialism within English language learning and teaching; for example, the teachers' organization IATEFL has a special interest group called BESIG [1]. Many non-native English speakers study the subject with the goal of doing business with English-speaking countries, or with companies located outside the Anglo sphere but which nonetheless use English as a shared language or lingua franca. Much of the English communication that takes place within business circles the world over occurs between non-native speakers. In cases such as these the object of the exercise is efficient and effective communication. The strict rules of grammar are in such cases sometimes ignored, when, for example, a stressed negotiator's only goal is to reach an agreement as quickly as possible. (See linguist Braj Kachru's theory of the "expanding circle".) Business English means different things to different people. For some, it focuses on vocabulary and topics used in the worlds of business, trade, finance, and international relations. For others it refers to the communication skills used in the workplace, and focuses on the language and skills needed for typical business communication such as presentations, negotiations, meetings, small talk, socializing, correspondence, report writing, and so on. In both of these cases it can be taught to native speakers of English, for example, high school students preparing to enter the job market. It can also be a form of international English. It is possible to study Business English at college and university; institutes around the world have on offer courses (modules) in BE, which can even lead to a degree in the subject. The City and Guilds of London Institute offer International Business English examinations.

EAP - English for Academic Purposes

English for Academic Purposes (EAP) entails training students, usually in a Higher Education setting, to use language appropriately for study. It is a challenging and multi-faceted area within the wider field of English language learning and teaching (ELT), and is one of the most common forms of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). In common with most language teaching, EAP tutors teach vocabulary, grammar and the four skills (reading, writing, speaking - including pronunciation - and listening), but try to tie these to the study needs of students. In addition, EAP practitioners often find that, either directly or indirectly, they are teaching study skills and often having to tackle differences in educational culture, for example, what counts as plagiarism. This trend has become more prominent as the numbers of foreign students attending UK universities, and other institutions across the Anglo sphere, has increased over the last decade. Sometimes EAP courses are intended to raise students' English levels so that they can enter university. In the UK, this often means endeavoring to help students get a score of 6 or above in the IELTS examination. In the US, this can mean helping students attain a score of 500 or greater on the Institutional TOEFL.

ELF

English as a Lingua franca

A lingua franca (from Italian, literally meaning Frankish language, see etymology under Sabir and Italian below) is a language systematically used to communicate between persons not sharing a mother tongue, in particular when it is a third language, distinct from both persons' mother tongues.[1] Lingua franca is a functionally defined term, independent of the linguistic history or structure of the language:[2] though pidgins and creoles often function as lingua francas, many lingua francas are neither pidgins nor creoles. Lingua franca may also refer to the de facto language within a more or less specialized field. A synonym for lingua franca is vehicular language. Whereas a vernacular language is used as a native language in a single speaker community, a vehicular language goes beyond the boundaries of its original community, and is used as a second language for communication between communities. For example, English is a vernacular in England, but is used as a vehicular language (that is, a lingua franca) in the Philippines. International auxiliary languages such as Esperanto are generally intended by their designers to function as lingua francas, but have had limited success in this role.

TEFL - Teaching English as a foreign language

TEFL or teaching English as a foreign language refers to teaching English to students whose first language is not English. TEFL usually occurs in the student's own country, either within the state school system, or privately, e.g. in an after-hours language school or with a one-on-one tutor. TEFL teachers may be native or nonnative speakers of English. This article concentrates on the teaching of English by native Anglophones working outside their own country, a small subset of all the English that is taught worldwide. To learn about the teaching of English on a wider scale, see English language learning and teaching, which explains methodology and context, providing a full explanation of abbreviations (e.g. the difference between ESL and EFL, or TESOL as a subject and an organization). For information about foreign language teaching in general, see language

International language
International language may refer to: International auxiliary language - a language meant for communication between people from different nations who do not share a common native language Universal language - a hypothetical historical or mythical language said to be spoken and understood by all or most of the world's population Lingua franca - any language widely used beyond the population of its native speakers World language - a language spoken internationally

CELTA
The Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults, or CELTA (pronounced / s l.t /), is a professional credential held by many teachers of English as a foreign language.

Overview
The CELTA is a common requirement for those entering the field of English language teaching. Because it is recognized internationally, it is a particularly popular credential among people who wish to travel and teach English around the world (see TEFL for an extended discussion of travel-teaching). However, it is also held by people who intend to teach only in the country where they trained, and do not intend to travel. The full-time CELTA course runs for four weeks; it can also be taken part-time over several months. CELTA courses are run by many different institutions, whereas the courses are validated and certificates are issued by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), a part of the University of Cambridge. The CELTA is awarded upon passing the course, which includes six hours of assessed teaching practice to real English language students, at two different levels. The course grade is determined primarily by the performance of the teacher in this teaching practice; there are also a number of written assignments due throughout the course, which are graded on a pass/fail basis only. The grades awarded are pass, B and A. As of 2000, worldwide five percent of trainees withdrew before completing the course, three percent failed, 63% received a pass, 25% received a grade of B, and four percent received a grade of A. The full-time four-week course is very intensive, and students taking it must be prepared to dedicate all their waking hours to it for the duration. Even the part-time version of the course can take up more time than a full-time job for many students, especially those with no teaching background. Each year around 900 CELTA courses are run by around 280 centres, primarily language schools, in 54 countries, producing over 10,000 graduates.[1] Each course is audited by an external assessor.

DELTA (ELT)
DELTA, the Diploma in English Language Teaching to Adults, is a professional qualification in English language teaching awarded by Cambridge Assessment, formerly UCLES, a part of the University of Cambridge. The Diploma (or Dip) is often seen as a follow-up to the certificate known as the CELTA, once the individual has done a couple of years of teaching and has decided on a more long-term and serious commitment to the teaching of English. The Dip does not cover related nonteaching responsibilities (administration, training of teachers, and so on), but those who undertake these tasks often hold this qualification, or its equivalent. The diploma is awarded upon passing a course which includes supervised teaching practice, observation of other teachers, completion of a range of written assignments, completion of an extended assignment, and a written examination. The DELTA is available in many different countries throughout the world. The course can be taken part-time over a year or more, or full-time over a period of two to three months. Distance learning is also available. It is widely recognized around the world, as is the CELTA. The DELTA is also integrated into some MA programs. The DELTA and LTCL DipTESOL are often seen as roughly equivalent qualifications. The DELTA was introduced in 1999. It replaced the DTEFLA, the Diploma in Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Adults, which was administered jointly by the RSA and UCLES. The two qualifications were equivalent in level but the DELTA was more narrowly focused on teaching English as a foreign language; that is, the old qualification focused on teaching English to those who need it for exams, study, work or travel, whereas the new qualification includes the needs of immigrants settling in anglophone countries.

IELTS
IELTS (pronounced / a . lts/), or 'International English Language Testing System', is an international standardized test of English language proficiency. It is jointly managed by University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations, the British Council and IDP Education Australia, and was established in 1989. There are two versions of the IELTS: the Academic Version and the General Training Version: The Academic Version is intended for those who want to enroll in universities and other institutions of higher education and for professionals such as medical doctors and nurses who want to study or practice in an Englishspeaking country. The General Training Version is intended for those planning to undertake nonacademic training or to gain work experience, or for immigration purposes. It is generally acknowledged that the reading and writing tests for the Academic Version are more difficult than those for the General Training Version, due to the differences in the level of intellectual and academic rigor between the two versions. IELTS is accepted by most Australian, British, Canadian, Irish, New Zealand and South African academic institutions, over 2,000 academic institutions in the United States, and various professional organizations. It is also a requirement for immigration to Australia and Canada. This has been criticized in Canada, because the English accents employed in the Listening section of the IELTS are far removed from typical Canadian accents. An IELTS result or Test Report Form (TRF - see below) is valid for two years. In 2007, IELTS tested over a million candidates in a single 12-month period for the first time ever, making it the world's most popular English language test for higher education and immigration.[1]

London Tests of English

The London Tests of English (to be known as PTE General from November 09) are international English language exams for speakers of English as a foreign language (EFL). They are developed by Pearson Language Tests, a new business unit of the Pearson group which is dedicated to language testing and certification. Pearson administer the exams with Edexcel, one of the largest examining bodies of academic and vocational qualifications in the UK. Edexcel is a Pearson company. The exams are accredited by QCA, the Qualification and Curriculum Authority. The London Tests of English are theme-based exams designed to test how well a learner can communicate in authentic and realistic situations, and not on how well they remember formal vocabulary and structures. For this reason, the tests use reallife scenarios rather than grammatical exercises. They test the four skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking. There are six levels which are mapped to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. The Framework was developed by the Council of Europe to enable language learners, teachers, universities or potential employers to compare and relate language qualifications by level.

CEFR level

London Tests of English Exam time

C2 Proficient

Level 5

2h55

C1 Advanced

Level 4

2h30

B2 Upper Intermediate Level 3

2h

B1 Intermediate

Level 2

1h35

A2 Elementary

Level 1

1h30

A1 Foundation

Level A1

1h15

Reading, writing, listening and speaking are tested at all levels. The alignment of the London Tests of English to the CEFR has been established by mapping the test specifications to the CEFR descriptors. This mapping process was submitted to an external audit by University of Westminster. Work is in progress to further improve the robustness of the alignment on the basis of empirical data.

TOEFL
The Test of English as a Foreign Language (or TOEFL, pronounced "toe-full") evaluates the potential success of an individual to use and understand academic English at a college level. It is required for non-native applicants at many Englishspeaking colleges and universities. Additionally, institutions such as government agencies, businesses, or scholarship programs may require this test. A TOEFL score is valid for two years and then is deleted from the official database. Colleges and universities usually consider only the most recent TOEFL score. The TOEFL test is a registered trademark of Educational Testing Service (ETS) and is administered worldwide. The test was first administered in 1964 and has since been taken by nearly 20 million students.

TOEIC
Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) measures the ability of non-native English-speaking examinees to use English in everyday workplace activities.

Overview
The Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) is "an English language test designed specifically to measure the everyday English skills of people working in an international environment." It is a two-hour multiple-choice test consisting of 200 questions divided into 100 questions each in listening comprehension and reading comprehension. Each candidate receives independent scores for written and oral comprehension on a scale from 5 to 495 points. The total score adds up to a scale from 10 to 990 points. The TOEIC certificate exists in five colours, corresponding to achieved results: orange (10-215) brown (220-465) green (470-725) blue (730-855) gold (860-990)

History
The Educational Testing Service (ETS) in the USA developed the TOEIC test based on its academic ETS counterpart, the TOEFL test, following a request from Japan's Keidanren (Japan Federation of Economic Organizations; with the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI; which is today's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI; ) in conjunction ; ; ),

). The Asahi Shimbun national daily's evening edition [1] interviewed Yasuo Kitaoka ( Kitaoka Yasuo) who was the central figure of the Japanese team

that conceived the basic idea of the TOEIC test. ETS's major competitor is Cambridge University, which administers the IELTS, FCE, CAE and CPE. A new version of the TOEIC was released in 2006. The changes can be summarized as follows: Overall, passages have become longer. Part 1 has fewer questions involving photo descriptions. The Listening Section hires not only North American English speakers but also British, Australian and New Zealand English speakers. The ratio is 25% each for American, Canadian, British and Australian-New Zealand pronunciation [2]. Part 6 no longer contains the error spotting task, which has been criticized as unrealistic in a corporate environment. This part instead adopts the task wherein the test taker fills in the blanks in incomplete sentences. Part 7 contains not only single passage questions but also double passage questions wherein the test taker has to read and compare the two related passages such as e-mail correspondence. According to a survey [3] conducted in 2006 by the Institute for International Business Communication ( Zaidanh jin Kokusai Bijinesu Komyunik shon Ky kai?), 56.8% of the respondents who took both the older and the renewed versions of the TOEIC test in Japan find the latter version more difficult. The lower score the test taker achieves, the more marked this tendency becomes. As many as 85.6% of those who earned scores ranging from 10 to 395 points find the renewed TOEIC test more difficult, while 69.9% of those who earned 400 to 495 points think this way, so do 59.3% of those who earned 500 to 595 points. Among those who achieved 600 to 695 points 58.9% find so, 700 to 795 points 48.6%, 800 to 895 points 47.9%, and 900 to 990 points 39.8%. In 2007 added optional speaking and writing tests, and made some changes to the reading and listening test as well that de-emphasized knowledge of grammatical rules.

TOEIC in the Republic of Korea

Towards the end of 2005, there was a shift in South Korea, regarded as the second biggest consumer of TOEIC [4], or rather the biggest in terms of per capita consumption, away from the test as a measure of English ability on the corporate level. As noted in The Chosun Ilbo ( ; ; Korea Daily Reports)

national daily[5], a number of major corporations have either removed or reduced the required TOEIC score for employment. An official from the Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK; Kiup Bank; ; ) says, "TOEIC isn't an appropriate

indicator of actual English skills." Another English proficiency test, TEPS(developed by Seoul University, Chosun Ilbo), has been developed and is trying to replace the status of TOEIC, but TEPS requires higher English skills than TOEIC. So still TOEIC is majority to most job-seekers in South Korea. TOEIC can be taken starting from the age of 17.

TOEIC in Europe
In France, some Grandes coles require a TOEIC score of at least 750 to award the diploma. This policy has been criticized, as it makes state-awarded diplomas dependent on a private institution--despite the fact that it was not the private institution that set the 750 mark but a recommendation from the Commission des Titres d'Ingnieurs indicating a B2+ level on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. If the student cannot achieve a 750 mark, he/she is offered to validate his/her diploma by other means in most of the schools. Some institutions delay the diploma for one year after the end of the studies in that case. In Greece, TOEIC is accepted by ASEP, the organisation which is responsible for hiring new employees to work for the government.

TOEIC Bridge
ETS also administers a simplified version of the TOEIC test called TOEIC Bridge. The TOEIC Bridge test targets beginning and intermediate speakers and consists of 100 multiple-choice questions, requiring about one hour of testing time.

UCLES
Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), a non-teaching department of the University of Cambridge. Cambridge Assessment is a not-for-profit organization. Cambridge Assessment is Europe's largest assessment agency and is responsible for setting and marking a large number of examinations, both in the United Kingdom and internationally. Cambridge Assessment is not responsible for internal examinations at the University of Cambridge. It is one of the largest international assessment agencies recognized by governments around the world. It has units that focus on research (including the Cambridge Psychometrics Centre), expanding e-assessment capabilities and delivering university entrance tests as well as three examining bodies: OCR, is one of three UK-wide awarding bodies. OCR offers GCSEs, A levels and a wide range of vocational qualifications to learners of all ages through 13,000 schools, colleges and other institutions; University of Cambridge International Examinations (Cambridge International Examinations) (CIE) that provides assessment services to many governments and supplies International GCSEs, A and AS levels and business qualifications worldwide; University of Cambridge English for Speakers of Other Languages (University of Cambridge ESOL examination) operates in 135 countries worldwide. Each year over 1.75 million people take a Cambridge ESOL qualification; The Cambridge Assessment Network is a virtual centre of excellence that has been created to help professionals in assessment share experiences and increase their knowledge and expertise. It delivers a program of Professional Development in assessment and related issues. Launched in 2005, the Cambridge Assessment Network is a virtual centre of excellence for professionals in assessment to develop and share their knowledge and expertise. It provides a program of professional development in assessment and related issues, and is building an international community committed to high-quality assessment that enhances learning. Every year over 30,000 people work with Cambridge Assessment by either attending conferences or by taking part in topical debates from their desk top.

UCLES was established in 1858 to administer examinations for persons who were not members of the University of Cambridge and to inspect schools, with the aim of raising standards in education. The Syndicate began examining overseas in 1863 and this aspect of its work grew quickly. In 1888, the Syndicate was empowered to hold examinations for commercial certificates. The Certificate of Proficiency in English, the Syndicate's first examination in the field of English as a foreign language, was introduced in 1913. In 1873, the universities of Oxford and Cambridge created the Oxford and Cambridge Schools Examination Board which became part of UCLES in 1995. The UCLES Group absorbed several other examination boards, including the Southern Universities Joint Board in 1987, the Midland Examining Group and the RSA Examinations and Assessment Foundation, both in 1998. Cambridge Assessment celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2008.

Source: www.en.wikipedia.org