Table 1.1 Common acronyms to describe the study of English language
| Acronym | Meaning | Context |
|---|---|---|
| ESL | English as a second language | Study of English in contexts where the language used outside of the classroom is English |
| ESOL | English to speakers of other languages | Study of English in contexts where the language used outside of the classroom is English |
| EFL | English as a foreign language | Study of English in contexts where the language used outside of the classroom is not English. Often the language employed outside of the classroom is the students’ primary language |
| EIL | English as an international language | Study of English as it is used internationally. It may imply use among individuals who may not be native speakers or bound to traditional native speaker norms |
| ELL | English language learning | This term does not imply context, but has been adopted frequently in the United States |
Table 1.2 Acronyms for the study of how to teach ESL/EFL/EIL/ELL
| Acronym | Meaning | Context |
|---|---|---|
| TESL | Teaching English as a second language | Teaching English to students in second language contexts (i.e., where the language used outside of the classroom is English) |
| TESOL | Teaching or teachers of English to speakers of other languages | Teaching English to students in second language contexts (i.e., where the language used outside of the classroom is English) |
| TEFL | Teaching English as a foreign language | Teaching English to students in foreign language contexts (i.e., where the language used outside of the classroom is not English). Often the language employed outside of the classroom is the students’ primary language |
| ELT | English language teaching | Teaching English internationally. This term does not imply context |
The teachers may be former students of English language who have mastered a degree of proficiency in the language, or individuals who were born in bilingual or multilingual settings and had the advantage of learning two or more languages from birth, or native monolingual English speakers. All these pathways to the teaching of English are valued in TESOL and provide their future language students with insights they have gleaned from their pathway into the field. For example, the native speaking teacher may have a native accent, but nonnative speakers often have grammatical and linguistic insights from their studies native speakers do not possess.
The most common acronyms in the field to describe the study of English language by individuals who speak one or more other languages are ESL, EFL, EIL, and ELL. There are other acronyms for the study of English, such as VESL (vocational English as a second language), and content-based (CBI), sheltered instruction observation protocol (SIOP), which we will discuss later in the text.
ESL stands for English as a second language. It refers to language learning contexts, or locations, in which the majority of inhabitants speak English. Some English-dominant speaking countries spring to mind quickly, such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In the field of TESOL, a shared value is that there is no “best” version of English; British English is not inherently better than the other variations of English. These countries have traditionally been considered the generators of patterns or norms of English language use. However, as the number of the speakers of English has increased over years, the English spoken by non-English speakers has also changed. This topic, World Englishes, will be covered in more detail in upcoming chapters.
Representing the different forms of English
In recent years, there has been a tendency to legitimize the English spoken by people coming from different first language (L1) backgrounds, which also implies that English as a second language and its dissemination is not necessarily kept under the control of countries speaking it as a first language such as England and America.
Other countries have many speakers of English because they were former colonies of an English-dominant country, but may also have many other languages spoken in the country (e.g., India, Nigeria, Pakistan, and the Philippines). There are many individuals in India, for example, who have spoken English all of their lives and who speak some of the 22 major languages spoken there. Interestingly, Indian English has elements of the native languages of the people infused into their English. This infusion affords flair and flavor to their language use. Additionally, Indian English speakers generate new patterns of language use in vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation that are not necessarily influenced by their first language(s).
The acronym ESL implies certain perspectives. It suggests that students only speak one language when they might speak more than one. TESOL professionals often speak of “second language acquisition” to mean the process of learning or acquiring a second or additional language. Professionals in the field have suggested that we should use the term English as an additional language, which can be seen in some writings. In this text, you will see both terms employed.
Other issues exist with the use of “second language” as well. In the past, students learning another language often needed to travel to the target language country to practice their language with native speakers in order to develop a high degree of language proficiency. With the ease of global communication on the internet, students may have access to English in formerly unprecedented ways. They have access to newspapers, magazines, blogs, movies, music, and chatrooms with native English models of language. This access breaks down the distinction between “second and foreign language” contexts to some degree.
In spite of the issues noted above, ESL remains a widely used acronym. Many professionals use the term and keep these caveats in mind.
Heterogeneous or homogeneous learner populations
In some classrooms, there may be students who speak many different languages. For example, in New South Wales, Australia, there are 239 different languages spoken in the public schools as of 2018 (CESE Bulletin, 2018). Students may speak Chinese, Arabic, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Samoan, or Greek. We call this a heterogeneous class due to