Types

Types of ESP

Hutchinson and Waters’ subdivision

In 1987, they rooted one of the most well-known and useful theories regarding English language teaching branches with the “Tree of ELT”, in which they divided ESP into three types:

a) English for Science and Technology (EST),

b) English for Business and Economics (EBE), and

c) English for Social Studies (ESS).

Each type is concerned with a specific field of scientific knowledge like technology, business and economy, or the social sciences in general with the various and large number of social and human sciences studies. Additionally, each of these is divided into further sub-branches: English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and English for Occupational Purposes (EOP). An example of EOP for the ESS branch is 'English for Psychology' whereas an example of EAP for the ESS branch is 'English for Teaching'. Yet Hutchinson and Waters’ classification of EAP and EOP is rather unclear; that is why further clarification is needed in order to distinguish between the two.

EAP versus EOP

Hutchinson and Waters admitted that there is no precise distinction between EAP and EOP. People can work and study simultaneously; it is also likely that in many cases the language learnt for immediate use in a study environment will be used later when the student takes up, or returns to a job.

How to Distinguish between EAP and EOP

The distinction can be made in the sphere of convenience. Courses in English for Occupational Purposes (EOP) train individuals to perform on the job, using English to communicate. This type of course would be useful for the training of lawyers for instance and administrative chiefs aiming at reaching a proficiency level.

 

On the other hand, English for Academic Purposes (EAP) is applied for common core elements also known as “study skills”. They basically consist of writing academic texts, taking notes and observations, listening to formal academic discourses and making presentations.

Elaborating the concept of EVP (English for Vocational Purposes)

In the light of the former definitions, it is possible to define EVP as a program “which equips students with English competence that supports their vocational expertise” (Widodo, 2016, p. 280). In this case, “the role of English as a medium of vocational communication helps students understand their vocational content, build and develop their vocational knowledge and skills, communicate their vocational expertise and perform specialist tasks, and develop their disciplinary language,” (Widodo, 2016, p.280)