Terminology and types
The many acronyms used in the field of English teaching and learning may be confusing.
English is a language with great reach and influence; it is taught all over the world under
many different circumstances. In English-speaking countries, English language teaching has
essentially evolved in two broad directions: instruction for people who intend to live in an
English-speaking country and for those who don't. These divisions have grown firmer as the
instructors of these two "industries" have used different terminology, followed distinct
training qualifications, formed separate professional associations, and so on. Crucially,
these two arms have very different funding structures, public in the former and private in
the latter, and to some extent this influences the way schools are established and classes
are held. Matters are further complicated by the fact that the United States and the United
Kingdom, both major engines of the language, describe these categories in different terms:
as many eloquent users of the language have observed, "England and America are two countries
divided by a common language." (Attributed to Winston Churchill, George Bernard Shaw, and
Oscar Wilde.) The following technical definitions may therefore have their currency
contested.
English outside English-speaking countries
EFL, English as a foreign language, indicates the use of English in a non–English-speaking
region. Study can occur either in the student's home country, as part of the normal school
curriculum or otherwise, or, for the more privileged minority, in an anglophone country that
they visit as a sort of educational tourist, particularly immediately before or after
graduating from university. TEFL is the teaching of English as a foreign language; note that
this sort of instruction can take place in any country, English-speaking or not. Typically,
EFL is learned either to pass exams as a necessary part of one's education, or for career
progression while working for an organisation or business with an international focus. EFL
may be part of the state school curriculum in countries where English has no special status
(what linguist Braj Kachru calls the "expanding circle countries"); it may also be
supplemented by lessons paid for privately. Teachers of EFL generally assume that students
are literate in their mother tongue. The Chinese EFL Journal[1] and Iranian EFL Journal[2]
are examples of international journals dedicated to specifics of English language learning
within countries where English is used as a foreign language.
English within English-speaking countries
The other broad grouping is the use of English within the Anglosphere. In what theorist Braj
Kachru calls "the inner circle", i.e. countries such as the United Kingdom and the United
States, this use of English is generally by refugees, immigrants and their children. It also
includes the use of English in "outer circle" countries, often former British colonies,
where English is an official language even if it is not spoken as a mother tongue by the
majority of the population.
In the US, Canada and Australia, this use of English is called ESL (English as a second
language). This term has been criticized on the grounds that many learners already speak
more than one language. A counter-argument says that the word "a" in the phrase "a second
language" means there is no presumption that English is the second acquired language (see
also Second language). TESL is the teaching of English as a second language.
In the UK, Ireland and New Zealand, the term ESL has been replaced by ESOL (English for
speakers of other languages). In these countries TESOL (teaching English to speakers of
other languages) is normally used to refer to teaching English only to this group. In the
UK, the term EAL (English as an additional language), rather than ESOL, is usually used when
talking about primary and secondary schools, in order to clarify English is not the
students' first language, but their second or third.[3]
Other acronyms were created to describe the person rather than the language to be learned.
The term LEP (Limited English proficiency) was created in 1975 by the Lau Remedies following
a decision of the US Supreme Court. ELL (English Language Learner), used by United States
governments and school systems, was created by Charlene Rivera of the Center for Equity and
Excellence in Education in an effort to label learners positively, rather than ascribing a
deficiency to them. LOTE (Languages other than English) is a parallel term used in Canada,
Australia, and New Zealand.
Typically, this sort of English (called ESL in the United States, Canada, and Australia,
ESOL in the United Kingdom, Ireland and New Zealand) is learned to function in the new host
country, e.g. within the school system (if a child), to find and hold down a job (if an
adult), to perform the necessities of daily life. The teaching of it does not presuppose
literacy in the mother tongue. It is usually paid for by the host government to help
newcomers settle into their adopted country, sometimes as part of an explicit citizenship
program. It is technically possible for ESL to be taught not in the host country, but in,
for example, a refugee camp, as part of a pre-departure program sponsored by the government
soon to receive new potential citizens. In practice, however, this is extremely rare.
Particularly in Canada and Australia, the term ESD (English as a second dialect) is used
alongside ESL, usually in reference to programs for Canadian First Nations people or
indigenous Australians, respectively.[4] It refers to the use of standard English, which may
need to be explicitly taught, by speakers of a creole or non-standard variety. It is often
grouped with ESL as ESL/ESD.
[edit] Umbrella terms
All these ways of denoting the teaching of English can be bundled together into an umbrella
term. Unfortunately, all the English teachers in the world cannot agree on just one. The
term TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages) is used in American English to
include both TEFL and TESL. This is also the case in Canada. British English uses ELT
(English language teaching), because TESOL has a different, more specific meaning; see
above.
Which variety to teach
It is worth noting that ESL and EFL programs also differ in the variety of English which is
taught; "English" is a term that can refer to various dialects, including British English,
American English, and many others. Obviously, those studying English in order to fit into
their new country will learn the variety spoken there. However, for those who do not intend
to change countries, the question arises of which sort of English to learn. If they are
going abroad for a short time to study English, they need to choose which country. For those
staying at home, the choice may be made for them in that private language schools or the
state school system may only offer one model. Students studying EFL in Hong Kong, for
example, are more likely to learn British English, whereas students in the Philippines are
more likely to learn American English.
For this reason, many teachers now emphasize teaching English as an international language
(EIL), also known as English as a lingua franca (ELF). Linguists are charting the
development of international English, a term with contradictory and confusing meanings, one
of which refers to a decontextualised variant of the language, independent of the culture
and associated references of any particular country, useful when, for example, a Saudi does
business with someone from China, or Albania.
Systems of simplified English
For international communication several models of "simplified English" have been suggested,
among them:
* Basic English, developed by Charles Kay Ogden (and later also I. A. Richards) in the
1930s; a recent revival has been initiated by Bill Templer[5]
* Threshold Level English, developed by van Ek and Alexander[6]
* Globish, developed by Jean-Paul Nerrière
* Basic Global English, developed by Joachim Grzega[7]
* Nuclear English, proposed by Randolph Quirk and Gabriele Stein but never fully
developed.[8]
Difficulties for learners
Language teaching practice often assumes that most of the difficulties that learners face in
the study of English are a consequence of the degree to which their native language differs
from English (a contrastive analysis approach). A native speaker of Chinese, for example,
may face many more difficulties than a native speaker of German, because German is closely
related to English, whereas Chinese is not. This may be true for anyone of any mother tongue
(also called first language, normally abbreviated L1) setting out to learn any other
language (called a target language, second language or L2). See also second language
acquisition (SLA) for mixed evidence from linguistic research.
Language learners often produce errors of syntax and pronunciation thought to result from
the influence of their L1, such as mapping its grammatical patterns inappropriately onto the
L2, pronouncing certain sounds incorrectly or with difficulty, and confusing items of
vocabulary known as false friends. This is known as L1 transfer or "language interference".
However, these transfer effects are typically stronger for beginners' language production,
and SLA research has highlighted many errors which cannot be attributed to the L1, as they
are attested in learners of many language backgrounds (for example, failure to apply 3rd
person present singular -s to verbs, as in 'he make').
While English is no more complex than other languages like Portuguese, it has several
features which may create difficulties for learners. Conversely, because such a large number
of people are studying it, products have been developed to help them do so, such as the
monolingual learner's dictionary, which is written with a restricted defining vocabulary.
It is important to remember that learning a second language involves much more than learning
the words and the sounds of a language. Communication breakdowns occur not only due to the
more commonly understood syntax and pronunciation difficulties but because when we learn a
language we also learn a culture. What is perceived as right, normal and correct in one
language and culture does not always "translate" into a second language...even when the
vocabulary is understood. Communication breakdowns may occur as a result of cultural
assumptions regarding age, forms of address, authority and respect, touching, eye contact
and other body language, greetings, invitations, and punctuality to name just a few.
In particular, some students may have very different cultural perceptions in the classroom
as far as learning a second language is concerned. Also, cultural differences in
communication styles and preferences are significant. For example, a study looked at Chinese
ESL students and British teachers and found that the Chinese learners did not see classroom
discussion and interaction as important but placed a heavy emphasis on teacher-directed
lectures.[9][10]
Pronunciation
* Consonant phonemes
English does not have more individual consonant sounds than most languages. However, the
interdentals, /θ/ and /ð/ (the sounds written with th), which are common in English (thin,
thing, etc.; and the, this, that, etc.) are relatively rare in other languages, even others
in the Germanic family (e.g., English thousand = German tausend), and these sounds are
missing even in some English dialects. Some learners substitute a [t] or [d] sound, while
others shift to [s] or [z], [f] or [v] and even [ts] or [dz]).
Speakers of Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Thai may have difficulty distinguishing [r]
and [l]. Speakers of Xiang Chinese may have a similar difficulty distinguishing [n] and [l].
The distinction between [b] and [v] can cause difficulty for native speakers of Spanish,
Japanese and Korean.
* Vowel phonemes
The precise number of distinct vowel sounds depends on the variety of English: for
example, Received Pronunciation has twelve monophthongs (single or "pure" vowels), eight
diphthongs (double vowels) and two triphthongs (triple vowels); whereas General American has
thirteen monophthongs and three diphthongs. Many learners, such as speakers of Spanish,
Japanese or Arabic, have fewer vowels, or only pure ones, in their mother tongue and so may
have problems both with hearing and with pronouncing these distinctions.
* Syllable structure
In its syllable structure, English allows for a cluster of up to three consonants before
the vowel and four after it (e.g., straw, desks, glimpsed). The syllable structure causes
problems for speakers of many other languages. Japanese, for example, broadly alternates
consonant and vowel sounds so learners from Japan often try to force vowels in between the
consonants (e.g., desks /desks/ becomes "desukusu" or milk shake /mɪlk ʃeɪk/ becomes
"mirukushēku").
Learners from languages where all words end in vowels sometimes tend to make all English
words end in vowels, thus make /meɪk/ can come out as [meɪkə]. The learner's task is further
complicated by the fact that native speakers may drop consonants in the more complex blends
(e.g., [mʌns] instead of [mʌnθs] for months).
* Unstressed vowels - Native English speakers frequently replace almost any vowel in an
unstressed syllable with an unstressed vowel, often schwa. For example, from has a
distinctly pronounced short 'o' sound when it is stressed (e.g., Where are you from?), but
when it is unstressed, the short 'o' reduces to a schwa (e.g., I'm from London.). In some
cases, unstressed vowels may disappear altogether, in words such as chocolate (which has
four syllables in Spanish, but only two as pronounced by Americans: "choc-lit".)
Stress in English more strongly determines vowel quality than it does in most other
world languages (although there are notable exceptions such as Russian). For example, in
some varieties the syllables an, en, in, on and un are pronounced as homophones, that is,
exactly alike. Native speakers can usually distinguish an able, enable, and unable because
of their position in a sentence, but this is more difficult for inexperienced English
speakers. Moreover, learners tend to overpronounce these unstressed vowels, giving their
speech an unnatural rhythm.
* Stress timing - English tends to be a stress-timed language - this means that stressed
syllables are roughly equidistant in time, no matter how many syllables come in between.
Although some other languages, e.g., German and Russian, are also stress-timed, most of the
world's other major languages are syllable-timed, with each syllable coming at an equal time
after the previous one. Learners from these languages often have a staccato rhythm when
speaking English that is disconcerting to a native speaker.
"Stress for emphasis" - students' own languages may not use stress for emphasis as
English does.
"Stress for contrast" - stressing the right word or expression. This may not come easily
to some non-native speakers.
"Emphatic apologies" - the normally unstressed auxiliary is stressed (I really am very
sorry)
In English there are quite a number of words - about fifty - that have two different
pronunciations, depending on whether they are stressed. They are "grammatical words":
pronouns, prepositions, auxiliary verbs and conjunctions. Most students tend to overuse the
strong form, which is pronounced with the written vowel.
* Connected speech
Phonological processes such as assimilation, elision and epenthesis together with
indistinct word boundaries can confuse learners when listening to natural spoken English, as
well as making their speech sound too formal if they do not use them. For example, in RP
eight beetles and three ants /eɪt biːtəlz ənd θriː ænts/ becomes [eɪtbiːtl̩znθɹiːjæns].
See also: Accent reduction
Grammar
* Tenses - English has a relatively large number of tenses with some quite subtle
differences, such as the difference between the simple past "I ate" and the present perfect
"I have eaten." Progressive and perfect progressive forms add complexity. (See English
verbs.)
* Functions of auxiliaries - Learners of English tend to find it difficult to manipulate
the various ways in which English uses the first auxiliary verb of a tense. These include
negation (e.g. He hasn't been drinking.), inversion with the subject to form a question
(e.g. Has he been drinking?), short answers (e.g. Yes, he has.) and tag questions (has he?).
A further complication is that the dummy auxiliary verb do /does /did is added to fulfil
these functions in the simple present and simple past, but not for the verb to be.
* Modal verbs - English also has a significant number of modal auxiliary verbs which
each have a number of uses. For example, the opposite of "You must be here at 8"
(obligation) is usually "You don't have to be here at 8" (lack of obligation, choice), while
"must" in "You must not drink the water" (prohibition) has a different meaning from "must"
in "You must not be a native speaker" (deduction). This complexity takes considerable work
for most English language learners to master.
* Idiomatic usage - English is reputed to have a relatively high degree of idiomatic
usage. For example, the use of different main verb forms in such apparently parallel
constructions as "try to learn", "help learn", and "avoid learning" pose difficulty for
learners. Another example is the idiomatic distinction between "make" and "do": "make a
mistake", not "do a mistake"; and "do a favor", not "make a favor".
* Articles - English has an appreciable number of articles, including the definite
article the and the indefinite article a, an. At times English nouns can or indeed must be
used without an article; this is called the zero article. Some of the differences between
definite, indefinite and zero article are fairly easy to learn, but others are not,
particularly since a learner's native language may lack articles or use them in different
ways than English does. Although the information conveyed by articles is rarely essential
for communication, English uses them frequently (several times in the average sentence), so
that they require some effort from the learner.
[edit] Vocabulary
* Phrasal verbs - Phrasal verbs in English can cause difficulties for many learners
because they have several meanings and different syntactic patterns. There are also a number
of phrasal verb differences between American and British English.
* Word derivation - Word derivation in English requires a lot of rote learning. For
example, an adjective can be negated by using the prefix un- (e.g. unable), in- (e.g.
inappropriate), dis- (e.g. dishonest), or a- (e.g. amoral), or through the use of one of a
myriad of related but rarer prefixes, all modified versions of the first four.
* Size of lexicon - The history of English has resulted in a very large vocabulary,
essentially one stream from Old English and one from the Norman infusion of Latin-derived
terms. (Schmitt & Marsden claim that English has one of the largest vocabularies of any
known language.) This inevitably requires more work for a learner to master the language.
* Collocations - Collocations in English refer to the tendency for words to occur
regularly with others. For example, nouns and verbs that go together (ride a bike/ drive a
car). Native speakers tend to use chunks of collocations and the ESL learners make mistakes
with collocations in their writing/speaking which sometimes results in awkwardness.
Differences between spoken and written English
As with most languages, written language tends to use a more formal register than spoken
language. The acquisition of literacy takes significant effort in English.
* Spelling - Because of the many changes in pronunciation which have occurred since a
written standard developed, the retention of many historical idiosyncrasies in spelling, and
the large influx of foreign words (mainly from Danish, Norman French, Classical Latin and
Greek) with different and overlapping spelling patterns,[11] English spelling is difficult
even for native speakers to master. This difficulty is shown in such activities as spelling
bees that generally require the memorization of words. English speakers may also rely on
computer tools such as spell checkers more than speakers of other languages, as the users of
these utilities may have forgotten, or never learned, the correct spelling of a word. The
generalizations that exist are quite complex and there are many exceptions leading to a
considerable amount of rote learning. The spelling system causes problems in both directions
- a learner may know a word by sound but not be able to write it correctly (or indeed find
it in a dictionary), or they may see a word written but not know how to pronounce it or
mislearn the pronunciation. However, despite the variety of spelling patterns in English,
there are dozens of rules that are 75% or more reliable.[12]
For further discussion of English spelling patterns and rules, see Phonics.
Varieties of English
* The British Isles, historical home of English, has significant regional language
differences in pronunciation, accent, vocabulary and grammar.
* The thriving communities of English native speakers in countries all over the world
also have some noticeable differences in pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar.
* English has no organisation that determines the most prestigious form of the language
- unlike the French language which has the Academie de la langue française, or Spanish
language's Real Academia Española
Teaching English therefore involves not only helping the student to use the form of English
most suitable for his purposes, but also exposure to regional forms and cultural styles so
that the student will be able to discern meaning even when the words, grammar or
pronunciation are different to the form of English he is being taught to speak.
Exams for learners
See also: Category:English language tests
Learners of English are often keen to get accreditation and a number of exams are known
internationally:[13]
* Trinity College London ESOL offers Integrated Skills in English (ISE), series of 5
exams, which assesses Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening accepted by academic
institutions in the UK. They also offer Graded Examinations in Spoken English (GESE), series
of 12 exams, which assesses Speaking and Listening and ESOL Skills for Life and ESOL for
Work exams in the UK only.
* University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations offers a suite of five examinations
including First Certificate in English (FCE), Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) and
Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE)
* IELTS (International English Language Testing System), accepted by academic
institutions in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, and by many in the USA.
* City and Guilds International ESOL and International Spoken ESOL on demand
examinations available at six levels: Preliminary, Access, Achiever, Communicator, Expert
and Mastery
* London Tests of English from Pearson Language Tests, a series of six exams each mapped
to a level from the CEFR
* Secondary Level English Proficiency test
* TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), an Educational Testing Service product,
developed and used primarily for academic institutions in the USA, and now widely accepted
in tertiary institutions in Canada, New Zealand, Australia, the UK, and Ireland. The current
test is an Internet-based test, and is thus known as the TOEFL iBT. Used as a proxy for
English for Academic Purposes.
* TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication), an Educational Testing
Service product for Business English
* TSE - Test of Spoken English
* TWE - Test of Written English
Many countries also have their own exams. ESOL learners in England, Wales and Northern
Ireland usually take the national Skills for Life qualifications, which are offered by
several exam boards. EFL learners in China may take the College English Test. In Greece
English students may take the PALSO (PanHellenic Association of Language School Owners)
exams.
The Common European Framework
Between 1998 and 2000, the Council of Europe's language policy division developed its Common
European Framework of Reference for Languages. The aim of this framework was to have a
common system for foreign language testing and certification, to cover all European
languages and countries.
The Common European Framework (CEF) divides language learners into three levels:
* A. Basic User
* B. Independent User
* C. Proficient User
Each of these levels is divided into two sections, resulting in a total of six levels for
testing (A1, A2, B1, etc).
This table compares ELT exams according to the CEF levels:
CEF Level ALTE Level NQF Level City & Guilds Level London Tests of
English TCL ESOL GESE TCL ESOL ISE UBELT exam Cambridge ESOL IELTS
Cambridge ESOL BULATS Cambridge ESOL BEC Cambridge ESOL General Cambridge ESOL YLE
C2 Level 5 Level 3 Mastery Level 5 Grade 12 IV
4.0-5.0 7.0+ 90-100 n/a CPE n/a
C1 Level 4 Level 2 Expert Level 4 Grade 10,11 III 3.0
-3.5 6.0-6.5 75-89 Higher CAE n/a
B2 Level 3 Level 1 Communicator Level 3 Grade 7,8,9 II
2.0-2.5 5.0-5.5 60-74 Vantage FCE n/a
B1 Level 2 Entry 3 Achiever Level 2 Grade 5,6 I
1.5 4.0-4.5 40-59 Preliminary PET n/a
A2 Level 1 Entry 2 Access Level 1 Grades 3,4 0 1.0
n/a 20-39 n/a KET Flyers
A1 Breakthrough Entry 1 Preliminary Level A1 Grade 2 n/a
<1.0 n/a 0-19 n/a n/a Movers
Qualifications for teachers
Non-native speakers
Most people who teach English are in fact not native speakers of that language. They are
state school teachers in countries around the world, and as such they hold the relevant
teaching qualification of their country, usually with a specialization in teaching English.
For example, teachers in Hong Kong hold the Language Proficiency Assessment for Teachers.
Those who work in private language schools may, from commercial pressures, have the same
qualifications as native speakers (see below). Widespread problems exist of minimal
qualifications and poor quality providers of training, and as the industry becomes more
professional, it is trying to self-regulate to eliminate these.[14]
[edit] United States qualifications
Most U.S. instructors at community colleges and universities qualify by taking a Master of
Arts (MA) in TESOL. This degree also qualifies them to teach in most EFL contexts. In some
areas of the United States, nearly all elementary school teachers are involved in teaching
ELLs (English Language Learners, that is, children who come to school speaking a home
language other than English.) The qualifications for these classroom teachers vary from
state to state but always include a state-issued teaching certificate for public
instruction. This state licensing requires substantial practical experience as well as
course work. The MA in TESOL typically includes both graduate work in English as one of the
classical liberal arts (literature, linguistics, media studies) with a theoretical component
in language pedagogy. Admission to the MA in TESOL typically requires at least a bachelor's
degree with a minor in English or linguistics, or, sometimes, a degree in a foreign language
instead.
It is important to note that the issuance of a teaching certificate or license is not
automatic following completion of degree requirements. All teachers must complete a battery
of exams (typically the Praxis subject and method exams or similar, state-sponsored exams)
as well as supervised instruction as student teachers. Often, ESL certification can be
obtained through extra college coursework. ESL certifications are usually only valid when
paired with an already existing teaching certificate. Certification requirements for ESL
teachers vary greatly from state to state; out-of-state teaching certificates are recognized
if the two states have a reciprocity agreement.
[edit] British qualifications
Common, respected qualifications for teachers within the United Kingdom's sphere of
influence include certificates and diplomas issued by Trinity College London ESOL and
University of Cambridge ESOL (henceforth Trinity and Cambridge).
A certificate course is usually undertaken before starting to teach. This is sufficient for
most EFL jobs (see TEFL for an extended discussion of travel-teaching) and for some ESOL
ones. CertTESOL (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), issued by
Trinity, and CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults), issued by
Cambridge, are the most widely taken and accepted qualifications for new teacher trainees.
Courses are offered in the UK and in many countries around the world. It is usually taught
full-time over a one-month period or part-time over a period up to a year.
Teachers with two or more years of teaching experience who want to stay in the profession
and advance their career prospects (including school management and teacher training) can
take a diploma course. Trinity offers the Trinity Licentiate Diploma in Teaching English to
Speakers of Other Languages (DipTESOL) and Cambridge offers the Diploma in English Language
Teaching to Adults (DELTA). These diplomas are considered to be equivalent and are both
accredited at level 7 of the revised National Qualifications Framework. Some teachers who
stay in the profession go on to do an MA in a relevant discipline such as applied
linguistics or ELT. Many UK master's degrees require considerable experience in the field
before a candidate is accepted onto the course.
The above qualifications are well-respected within the UK EFL sector, including private
language schools and higher education language provision. However, in England and Wales, in
order to meet the government's criteria for being a qualified teacher of ESOL in the
Learning and Skills Sector (i.e. post-compulsory or further education), teachers need to
have the Certificate in Further Education Teaching Stage 3 at level 5 (of the revised NQF)
and the Certificate for ESOL Subject Specialists at level 4. Recognised qualifications which
confer one or both of these include a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in ESOL,
the CELTA module 2 and City & Guilds 9488. Teachers of any subject within the British state
sector are normally expected to hold a PGCE, and may choose to specialise in ELT.
Professional associations and unions
* TESOL Inc. is Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, a professional
organization based in the United States. In addition, there are many large state-wide and
regional affiliates, see below.
* IATEFL is the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language,
a professional organization based in the United Kingdom.
* Professional organisations for teachers of English exist at national levels. Many
contain phrases in their title such as the Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT),
TESOL Greece in Greece, or the Society of Pakistan English Language Teachers (SPELT). Some
of these organisations may be bigger in structure (supra-national, such as TESOL Arabia in
the Gulf states), or smaller (limited to one city, state, or province, such as CATESOL in
California). Some are affiliated to TESOL or IATEFL.
* NATECLA is the National Association for Teaching English and other Community Languages
to Adults, which focuses on teaching ESOL in the United Kingdom.
* National Union of General Workers is a Japanese union which includes English teachers.
* University and College Union is a British trade union which includes lecturers of ELT.
Acronyms and abbreviations
See also: Language education for information on general language teaching acronyms and
abbreviations.
Types of English
* BE - Business English
* EAL - English as an additional language. The use of this term is restricted to certain
countries. See the discussion in Terminology and types.
* EAP - English for academic purposes
* EFL - English as a foreign language. English for use in a non-English-speaking region,
by someone whose first language is not English. See the discussion in Terminology and types.
* 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. See the discussion in Terminology and types.
* ELT - English language teaching. The use of this term is restricted to certain
countries. See the discussion in Terminology and types.
* 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. See the discussion in Terminology and types.
* ESOL - English for speakers of other languages. This term is used differently in
different countries. See the discussion in Terminology and types.
* ESP - English for specific purposes, or English for special 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, see the discussion in Terminology and
types.
* TESL - Teaching English as a second language. The use of this term is restricted to
certain countries. See the discussion in Terminology and types.
* TESOL - Teaching English to speakers of other languages, or Teaching English as a
second or other language. See the discussion in Terminology and types.
* 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
See also
Language terminology
* Foreign language
* Second language
* Standard Marine Communication Phrases
General language teaching and learning
* Applied linguistics
* Contrastive rhetoric
* Language education
* Second language acquisition
English language teaching and learning
* Non-native pronunciations of English
* Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), for an extended discussion of travel-
teaching
* English Language Institute an educational facility
* Structured English Immersion, a framework for teaching English language learners in
public schools
Contemporary English
* American and British English differences
* English language
* English studies
* International English
Other
* Crazy English, an idiosyncratic methodology
* ILAC - International Language Academy of Canada
* List of countries by English-speaking population
* Ruth Hayman - ESL pioneer
* RoPeCast - an ESL podcast project
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References and notes
1. ^ http://www.chinese-EFL-journal.com
2. ^ http://www.iranian-efl-journal.com
3. ^ The Basic Skills Agency
4. ^ Saskatchewan Learning
5. ^ Cf. Ogden, Charles K. (1934), The System of Basic English, New York: Harcourt, Brace
& Co., and Templer, Bill (2005), “Towards a People’s English: Back to BASIC in EIL”,
Humanising Language Teaching September 2005.
6. ^ Cf. van Ek, J.A. / Alexander, L.G. (1980), Threshold Level English, Oxford:
Pergamon.
7. ^ Cf. Grzega, Joachim (2005), "Reflection on Concepts of English for Europe: British
English, American English, Euro-English, Global English", Journal for EuroLinguistiX 2: 44-
64, and Grzega, Joachim (2005), “Towards Global English via Basic Global English (BGE):
Socioeconomic and Pedagogic Ideas for a European and Global Language (with Didactic Examples
for Native Speakers of German), Journal for EuroLinguistiX 2: 65-164, and the press releases
accessible via the Basic Global English website.
8. ^ Cf. Quirk, Randolph (1981), “International Communication and the Concept of Nuclear
English”, in: Smith, Larry E. (ed.), English for Cross-Cultural Communication, 151-165,
London: Macmillan, and Stein, Gabriele (1979), “Nuclear English: Reflections on the
Structure of Its Vocabulary”, Poetica (Tokyo) 10: 64-76.
9. ^ McKay, Sharon; Schaetzel, Kirsten, Facilitating Adult Learner Interactions to Build
Listening and Speaking Skills, CAELA Network Briefs, CAELA and Center for Applied
Linguistics, July 2008
10. ^ Jin, L., & Cortazzi, M. (1998). "The culture the learner brings: A bridge or a
barrier? In M. Byram & M. Fleming (Eds.), Language learning in intercultural perspective:
Approaches through drama and ethnography. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
11. ^ McGuinness, Diane. (2004). Early Reading Instruction Cambridge: MIT Press 41.
12. ^ Abbott, M. (2000). Identifying reliable generalizations for spelling words: The
importance of multilevel analysis. The Elementary School Journal 101(2), 233-245.
13. ^ Sources for this are found at the university websites. Given that there are
thousands of tertiary institutions that accept one or more of these for entrance
requirements, they simply can not be footnoted individually here
14. ^ "TESOL Certificates. Teaching or Deceiving the EFL/ESL Teaching Profession" by Tom
Davidson, March 2008 volume 2 TESOL Law Journal
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