2. English for Specific Purposes
English as a foreign language has two branches which are General English GE and English for Specific Purposes ESP. GE is applied on primary school,
secondary school and adult tertiary. General English, according to Hutchinson and Waters 1987, is usually studied for exam purposes. In the other hand, ESP is
applied on vocational schools and many of language courses in which the needs of the students are specific and different from that of those who are in General
English.
a. Definition
According to Hutchinson and Waters 1987: 19, ESP is not a product but it is an approach. They add that ESP is an approach to language teaching which is
based on learners’ needs. The determination of content and method in ESP are based on students’ reasons for learning. Basturkmen 2010:3 states a similar idea
about ESP that the focus of ESP courses is narrower than that of ELT courses because ESP courses concern
on analysis of learners’ need. Meanwhile, Swale 1992 in Knight et al 2010:34 elaborates the definition as follows:
………………the area of inquiry and practice in the development of language programs for people who need a language to meet a predictable
range of communicative needs.
From the definitions given by those experts, it shows that ESP provides framework on designing language course where the course is designed to meet the
students’ needs.
ESP approach has some characteristics. According to Dudley-Evans and St. John 1984 as cited by Brunton 2009:2, ESP has absolute and variable
characteristics. Absolute characteristics
- ESP is defined to meet specific need of the learners.
- ESP makes use of underlying methodology and activities of the discipline it
serves -
ESP is centered on the language appropriate to these activities in term of grammar, register, study skills, discourse and genre.
Variable characteristics -
ESP may be related to or designed for specific disciplines -
ESP may use, in specific teaching situations, a different methodology form that of General English.
- 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 schools level.
- ESP is generally designed for intermediate or advanced students
- Most ESP courses assume some basic knowledge of the language systems.
As the first consideration before designing a course is how to find out the needs of the students. In order to figure out their needs, course designers need to
do needs analysis. ESP provides guidance to what kinds of need that should be assessed.
b. Needs Analysis
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