THE ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT OF ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES

Abstract

The development of ESP (English for Specific Purposes) started after the Second World War in a period of enormous expansion of science, technology and economy. English language became an international language of communication, technology and trade and started to attract a new generation of learners: businessmen, doctors, lawyers, economists, engineers and others who wanted to study English because of their specific, professional needs. The most important difference between English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and English as a second language (ESL) or general English lies in the nature of the learners and their purposes for learning English. An ESP program is built on an assessment of purposes and needs of adult learners who are learning the language in order to communicate a set of professional skills and to perform specific job-related functions. ESP also concentrate more on language in context than on teaching grammar and language structures. The language skills used in ESP are determined by a needs analysis and the syllabus is designed accordingly. English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is a specific approach to language based on the specific needs of the learners and it integrates motivation, subject matter and content for teaching relevant skills.