8
LECTURE 2. A Historical perspective on ESP.
·
The balance between research and practice
·
Trends in English for Academic Purposes
·
Authenticity of text and authenticity of purpose.
·
Trends of English for occupational purposes
1.
Aims
In this chapter we wish to trace the development of ESP, from its origins in the 19620s to the
situation today, at the turn of the millennium. This involves looking closely at the interaction
between Applied Linguistics, ELT and ESP, the relationship between theory and practice in
ESP and the teaching materials that have been developed. We will
also show how ESP has
been influenced by developments in education, business and computer technology.
2.
The balance between research and practice
ESP is essentially a materials and teaching led movement. It has been influenced by
developments and changes in Applied Linguistics and ELT, but as a lively ambitious, young
movement within ELT it has also had considerable influence on ELT. ESP was, for example,
very influential in showing how to communicate language curriculum could be turned into
either a functional- notional syllabus or task based syllabus.
The original flowering of the ESP movement resulted from
general developments in the
world economy in the 1950s and 1960s. The growth of the technology and science, the
increased use of English as the international language of science,
technology and business,
the increased economic power of certain oil- rich countries and the increased numbers ob
international students studying in the UK, USA and Australia.
The idea of language for
specific purposes however has been around for a long time.
Howaat (1984) agrees that the need for commercial English for incoming Huguenot and
other Protestant refugees to England in the 16
th
century let to a focus on Business English in
early ELT and that actual textbooks on “Commercial English” and business letter writing
were a feature of ELT from the 19 century.
It was undoubtedly in the mid- to late 1960s, however that various influences came together
to generate the need and enthusiasm for developing ESP as a discipline.
The relationship
between theory and materials in ESP is fascinating to trace. ESP was given it’s initial
impetus by work in the area of register analyses which looked at the grammar of scientific
and
technical writing, and pointed to certain area of priority for teaching and materials
production.
Subsequently much material was produced as a result of the practitioner engaging with the
teaching situation, carrying out a limited text analyses and than writing a handout of series of
handouts. This activity may than have been written up and published
as an article forming
the basis of more extensive research.
This indicates that, ESP has at some points in its history drawn on more theoretical work in
Applied Linguistics at other times it has been ahead of Applied linguistics, and ESP
experience in needs analyses and materials productions has fed into theoretical work.