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Introduction:
The scientific discoveries and technical innovations of the “information age” have increased
demand for language courses and new approaches to language teaching/learning foreign
languages in order to make progress in academic world, reach all technical and scientific
works. Thus, it points to the necessity of ESP in language education.
1. English for Specific Purposes
Since the 1960‟s ESP has become one of the most active branches of Applied Linguistics in
general, and of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) in particular. Among the
factors that could explain its vitality and its expansion is, as previously mentioned, the
emergence of English as a world language, for this reason the necessity to cope with the
different teaching situations and needs that such a position brings about. Such necessity
implies an understanding of its development, types and the different teaching concepts of
ESP. However, it is of great importance to start with the main definitions stated by the
linguists concerning ESP.
1. Definition of ESP
Hutchinson et al. (1987:19) "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 . English for
specific purposes (ESP) refers to language research and instruction that focuses on the
specific communicative needs and practices of particular social groups. The teaching of
English for Specific Purposes (ESP) has been seen as a separate activity within English
language teaching (ELT). ESP has developed its own methodology and its research draws on
research from various disciplines in addition to applied linguistics. The fundamental question
of ESP. Why does the learner need to learn a foreign language?

2. ESP History
The origins of teaching Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) can be traced as far back as the
Greek and Roman empires (Dudley-Evans and ST Johns, 1998:1). In the same vein, Strevens
(1977) stated that the history of LSP goes back to “at least half a century”. For Hutchinson
and Waters (1987: 6) “ESP was not a planned and coherent movement, but rather a
phenomenon that grew out of a number of converging trends”. The latter have functioned and
operated in diverse ways around the world, “but we can identify three main reasons common
 to the emergence of all ESP.”(Ibid, 1987: 6): the demands of a brave new world, a revolution
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in linguistics and a new focus on the learner.
a. The Demand of a Brave New World
After 1945, the New World knew an age of massive and unprecedented growth in all the
activities especially the economic, technical and scientific ones dominated by two divergent
forces, inexorably it engenders a demand for an international language, this responsibility was
accredited to English for various reasons. Consequently“…, it created a new generation of
learners who knew specifically why they were learning a language…”(Hutchinson and Waters
(1987: 6)aiming at fulfilling the daily needs which consisted in the comprehension of the
simplest brochure or manuals to most complicated genres of discourses as law texts and
scientific articles .
b. A Revolution in Linguistics
Some linguists, being aware of the world changes, began to focus their studies on the ways in
which language is used in real situations. Traditional approach in language study centred the
attention on the grammatical rules governing the language usage, though it was found that the
discourses varies according to the contexts, it was necessary to reorganise the teaching and
learning methodologies and make the specific features of each situation the basis of learner‟s
courses. The English used by doctors, linguists or officers is not based on the same
terminological terms consequently, the teaching and learning process was directed on the
basis of the use of specific corpora for each field.
c. The focus on the learners
In the same period learner‟s motivation towards acquiring a foreign language was the subject
study of the educational psychologists, who noticed the use of different learning strategies by
learners; they have different attitudes, needs and interests. The idea was based on the
statement of tell me what you need English for and I will tell you the English you need. It was
a natural expansion of this philosophy to plan special courses for each range of specific
learners. Strevens (1977:152) notes: “...the existence of a major „tide‟ in the educational
thought, in all counties and affecting all subjects. The movement referred to is the global trend
towards „learner-centered education”.
3. ESP Characteristics
ESP is a recognizable activity of English Language Teaching (ELT) with some specific
characteristics. Dudley-Evans and St. Johns‟ tried (1998) to apply a series of characteristics,
some absolute and some variable, to outline the major features of ESP.
Absolute Characteristics:
 1. ESP is defined to meet specific needs of the learners;
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2. ESP makes use of underlying methodology and activities of the discipline it serves;
3. ESP is centred on the language (grammar, lexis, register), skills, discourse and genre
appropriate to these activities.
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. Most ESP courses assume
some basic knowledge of the language systems, but it can be used with beginners.
TYPES OF ESP

 Traditionally, ESP has been divided into two main areas:

 4. EGP VS.ESP
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EGP ESP

1. The focus is often on education. 6. The focus is on training;

2. The learners’ future needs are impossible to
predict, the course content is more difficult
to select.
3. The content in the syllabus to have a high
surrender value.
4. EGP is designed for children and adults.
7. The selection of the appropriate content is
easier.
8. The syllabus to have a high surrender value,
most relevant to the vocational context.
9. The courses contain vocabulary tasks that
are related to the field of study

5. EGP, the four skills are focused on equally. 10. ESP is usually designed for adults.

11. ESP the needs analysis is the determiner of

which skill is needed

I. Roles of ESP Teachers

The ESP teacher is different from that of GE, but this does not mean that they do not have
things in common (Bojovic 2006). Dudley-Evans and ST John (1998) prefer to use the term
“practitioner” rather than “teacher”, because for them ESP work involves teaching and more.
In recent time, the responsibility of the ESP practitioner has involved five roles: A teacher, a
course designer, material provider, researcher, collaborator, and an evaluator.

1. Teacher : The ESP teacher is not the primary knower of the carrier content of the
material. The students may know more about the content than the teacher. When the
teaching is a specific course on, for example, how to write a business report, it is vital that
the teacher adopts the position of the consultant who has the knowledge of communication
practices but needs to “negotiate” with the students on how best to explore these practices
to meet the objective they have.
2. a course designer and materials provider:
a. ESP courses and materials are based on analyzing the learner’s needs .
 b. ESP practitioners often have to provide the material for the course.
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c. . ESP teachers also need to assess the effectiveness of the teaching material used
whether it is published or self-produced.

d. Due to the lack of materials for ESP courses, the ESP practitioner is expected to plan
his course

3. Researcher: The ESP teachers need to do research in order to investigate the genres of
texts, language, and skills required by the specific field of study .ESP teacher often attends
classes, talks to the administration staff and investigates the strategies learners need in
their learning.
4. Collaborator : This may involve cooperation in which ESP teacher finds out about the
subject syllabus in an academic context or the tasks that students have to carry out in a
work or business situation.
5. Evaluator: The teacher is often involved in different types of evaluation. In the context of
ESP there are two kinds of evaluation (Bojovic 2006).
a. Students’ evaluation in which the teacher assesses whether the learners have
the necessary language and skills to survive in the academic course or career,
and in which he/she assesses the level of their achievement.
b. Evaluation of course design and teaching materials should be done while the
course is being taught, at the end of the course and after the course has
finished, in order assessing whether the learners have been able to make use of
what they learned and to find out what they were not prepared for.
Conclusion:

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) can be defined as the teaching and learning of English as
a second or foreign language for the specific purpose of using it in a particular domain. Its
evolution along the decades reflects the developments in language teaching and language
itself.