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English for Specific Purposes

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is a subdiscipline of the general English Language Teaching (ELT) tree which emphasizes practical outcomes of a language instruction program (Dudley-Evans & St. John, 1998; Hutchinson & Waters, 1991). ESP should also be understood as an instructional methodology largely resulting from the recognition that since World War II, the English language has become a primary communications medium in business, science, education, and diplomacy (Hutchinson & Waters, 1991). English has become a key to the international global environment and is currently the primary language in which the vast majority of print publications of all types are written. Over two-thirds of the world's scientists read in English, 80 percent of the world's electronically information is in this language, and of the estimated 40 million users of the Internet, some 80 percent communicate in English (Crystal, 1995; Graddol, 1997).

Approximately 375 million people across the globe speak English as a first language, with a similar number speaking English as a second language, and about 750 million individuals speaking English as a foreign language (Crystal, 1977). It is believed that speakers of English as a second language will soon outnumber those who speak it as a first language (Graddol, 1997). Studies indicate that students across the world are aware of the growing importance of English proficiency for professional careers.

Huckin (1988), for example, found that among university students in Singapore and India, 94 percent of 512 participants were studying English in the belief that it would be necessary in their careers and that both professionally and socially, English proficiency would advance their status. Similarly, among students in Kuwait, awareness of the role and significance of English language proficiency appears to be widespread (Al-Bazzaz, 1991; Al-Mutawa, 1994).

Consequently, ESP has taken on enhan...

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English for Specific Purposes. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 10:34, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1688807.html