It has been suggested that Teaching English as a Second Language be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

ESL (English as a second language), ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) and EFL (English as a foreign language) all refer to the use or study of English by speakers of other languages. The precise usage, including the different use of the terms ESL and ESOL in different countries, is described below. These terms are most commonly used in relation to teaching and learning English, but they may also used in relation to demographic information. Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into English_as_an_additional_language. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... A demographic or demographic profile is a term used in marketing and broadcasting, to describe a demographic grouping or a market segment. ...

ELT (English language teaching) is a widely-used teacher-centred term, as in the English language teaching divisions of large publishing houses, ELT training, etc. The abbreviations TESL (teaching English as a second language), TESOL (teaching English for speakers of other languages) and TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language) are all also used. TEFL, or Teaching English as a Foreign Language, refers to teaching English in non-English-speaking regions to students for whom it is not their mother tongue (see EFL). ...

Other terms used in this field include EAL (English as an additional language), ESD (English as a second dialect), EIL (English as an international language), ELF (English as a ­lingua franca), ESP (English for special purposes, or English for specific purposes), EAP (English for academic purposes), and ELL (English language learner).

Terminology and types

All the acronyms can get in the way of understanding. English is a language with great reach and influence; it is taught all over the world under many different circumstances. In many English-speaking countries, teaching has evolved in two broad directions, essentially for people who intend to stay in the country and those who don't. These divisions have grown firmer with the instructors of these two "industries" using different terminology, forming separate professional associations, following distinct training qualifications, and so on. Crucially, these two arms have very different funding structures and to some extent this influences the way they teach. Matters are further complicated by the fact that the United States and Britain, both major engines of the language, describe these categorise with different terms: as many eloquent users of the language have observed, "England and America are two countries divided by a common language." (Attibuted to Winston Churchill, George Bernard Shaw, and Oscar Wilde.) So -- here start the technical definitions, many of them contested in how widely they are used, or acknowledged to be ambiguous (US/UK). Acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations formed from the initial letter or letters of words, such as NATO and XHTML, and are pronounced in a way that is distinct from the full pronunciation of what the letters stand for. ... Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British politician, best known as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. ... George Bernard Shaw (July 26, 1856 – November 2, 1950) was an Irish playwright and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925. ... Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal OFlahertie Wills Wilde (October 16, 1854 – November 30, 1900) was an Anglo-Irish playwright, novelist, poet, and short story writer. ...

EFL 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 which they visit as a sort of educational tourist, e.g. after graduating from university. TEFL is the teaching of English as a foreign language; NB this teaching can occur 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 with an international focus, and TEFL presupposes literacy in the mother tongue. EFL may be part of the state school curriculum in countries where English has no special status (as is the case in most of the European Union); it may in addition be supplemented by privately paid for lessons, whether for schoolchildren or businesspeople. An anglophone is someone who speaks English natively or by adoption. ... TEFL, or Teaching English as a Foreign Language, refers to teaching English in non-English-speaking regions to students for whom it is not their mother tongue (see EFL). ...

The other broad grouping is the use of English within an English-speaking region, generally by refugees, immigrants and school or university students who are not native speakers. It includes the use of English in countries, often former British colonies, where English is a dominant language although 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 criticised 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 sometimes 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 the schools sector. In the United States, the term English language learner (ELL) is used by governments and the schools system. It differs from the other terms above because it refers to learners rather than the language. Definitions of the Anglosphere vary: one definition (depicted, all in blue) includes two node countries – the United Kingdom and the United States – and five outliers: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and South Africa. ... Immigration is the act of moving to or settling in another country or region, temporarily or permanently. ... A second language is any language other than the first, or native, language learned; it is typically used because of geographical or social reasons. ...

Typically, ESL (ESOL in the countries listed above) 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, and TESL does not presuppose literacy in the mother tongue. ESL is often paid for by the host government to help newcomers settle into their adopted country, sometimes as part of an explicit citizenship program.

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. It refers to the use of standard English by speakers of a creole or non-standard variety. It is often grouped with ESL as ESL/ESD. A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος, dialektos) is a variety of a language used by people from a particular geographic area. ... Carved mask in Vancouver First Nations is a term for ethnicity used in Canada to replace the word Indian. It refers to the Indigenous peoples of North America located in what is now Canada, and their descendants, who are not Inuit or Métis. ... The Indigenous Australians are the first inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands, continuing their presence during European settlement. ... The term Creole and its relatives in other languages — such as crioulo, criollo, créole, kriolu, criol, kreyol, kriulo, kriol, krio, etc. ...

The term TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages) is used in American English to include both TEFL and TESL. In British English the equivalent umbrella term is ELT (English language teaching), whereas TESOL has a different meaning, see above. American English (AmE) is the dialect of the English language used mostly in the United States of America. ... British English (BrE) is a term used to differentiate between the form of the English language used in the United Kingdom and those used elsewhere. ... The expression umbrella term means a word that provides a superset or grouping of related concepts. ...

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, North American English, and others. 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 of EFL now emphasize teaching English as an international language (EIL), also known as English as a ­lingua franca (ELF). A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος, dialektos) is a variety of a language used by people from a particular geographic area. ... British English (BrE) is a term used to differentiate between the form of the English language used in the United Kingdom and those used elsewhere. ... American English (AmE) is the dialect of the English language used mostly in the United States of America. ... An international auxiliary language (sometimes abbreviated as IAL or auxlang) is a language used (or to be used in the future) for communication between people from different nations who do not share a common native language. ... Lingua franca, literally Frankish language in Italian, was originally a mixed language consisting largely of Italian plus a vocabulary drawn from Turkish, Persian, French, Greek and Arabic and used for communication throughout the Middle East. ...

Difficulties for learners

Most of the difficulties which learners face in learning English are a consequence of the degree to which their native language differs from English. A native speaker of Chinese, for example, faces many more difficulties than a native speaker of German. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

Learners of any language usually produce mistakes resulting from the influence of their mother tongue, such as using grammatical patterns from their mother tongue, difficulty in pronouncing certain sounds or confusion between false friends. This is known as L1 interference. False friends are pairs of words in two languages or letters in two alphabets that look or sound similar but differ in meaning. ... Language interference (also known as linguistic interference, cross-linguistic interference or transfer) is the effect of a language learner’s first language on their production of the language they are learning. ...

Although in terms of grammar, English is not particularly difficult to learn, there are several features of English which are relatively complex and therefore create difficulties for the majority of learners.

Pronunciation

• Consonant phonemes - English does not have more individual consonant sounds than most languages. However, /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). Some learners substitute a [t] or [d] sound, while others shift to [s] or [z]depending on what is more natural for them in their native language. Even practiced second language speakers, such as francophone Canadian politicians, retain this pronunciation long after mastering vocabulary and grammar. Another sound that is relatively uncommon in other languages is /ŋ/ (as in singing). Speakers of Asian languages often have difficulty distinguishing [r] and [l]. The distinction between [b] and [v] can also cause difficulty for native speakers of Spanish, as well as 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 language|Spanish],Japaneseor Arabic, have fewer vowels in their mother tongue and so 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 consonants after the vowel (e.g., straw, desks, glimpsed). The syllable structure causes problems for speakers of many other languages. Japanese, for example, 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 "mirukusēki"). Learners from languages where all words end in vowels (e.g., Italian) tend to make all English words end in vowels - make /meɪk/ comes 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., [məns] instead of [mənθs] 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 4 syllables in its native Spanish, but only 2 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 like Russian). For example, in some varieties the syllables an, en, in, on and un are pronounced 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.
• 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 [eɪdbiːtl̩zənθriːjæns].

A consonant is a sound in spoken language that is characterized by a closure or stricture of the vocal tract sufficient to cause audible turbulence. ... In phonetics, a vowel is a sound in spoken language that is characterized by an open configuration of the vocal tract so that there is no build-up of air pressure above the glottis. ... Received Pronunciation (RP) is a form of pronunciation of the English language, sometimes defined as the educated spoken English of southeastern England. ... A monophthong (in Greek μονόφθογγος = single note) is a pure vowel sound, one whose articulation at both beginning and end is relatively fixed, and which does not glide up or down towards a new position of articulation; compare diphthong. ... In phonetics, a diphthong (Greek and ending tongue positions. ... In phonetics, a triphthong is a monosyllabic vowel combination usually involving a quick, but smooth movement from one vowel to another that passes over a third one. ... General American is a notional accent of American English based on speech patterns common in the Midwest of the United States and those used by many American network television broadcasters. ... Japanese (Japanese: 日本語; (help· info)) is a language spoken by over 127 million people, mainly in Japan, but also by Japanese emigrant communities around the world. ... Arabic (; , less formally, ) is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ... This article discusses the unit of speech. ... In linguistics, a consonant cluster is a group of consonants which have no intervening vowel. ... Note: This page contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ... In linguistics, the timing in a language comprises the rhythmic qualities of speech, in particular how syllables are distributed across time. ... In every language, speech emission is based on a sequence of elementary sound units; some of them play a specific part: through their isochronic recurrence, they produce the rhythm of the sentences. ... In musical notation, staccato indicates that notes are sounded in a detached and distinctly separate manner with their lengths shortened; that is, a short silence should be between the notes, without affecting the rhythm. ... Assimilation is a regular and frequent sound change process by which a phoneme changes to match an adjacent phoneme in a word. ... In music, see elision (music). ... In poetry and phonetics, epenthesis (Greek epi, on × en, in + thesis, putting) is the insertion of a phoneme or syllable into a word, usually to facilitate pronunciation. ... Received Pronunciation (RP) is a form of pronunciation of the English language, sometimes defined as the educated spoken English of southeastern England. ...

Grammar

• Tenses - English has a relatively large number of tenses with some quite subtle differences, such as the difference between "I ate" and "I have eaten.".
• 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 (eg He hasn't been drinking.), inversion with the subject to form a question (eg Has he been drinking?, short answers (eg Yes, he has.) and tag questions (has he?). A further complication is that the dummy auxiliary verb do /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" is usually "You don't have to be here at 8," while "must" in "You must not drink the water" has a different meaning from "must" in "You must not be a native speaker." This complexity takes considerable work for most learners to master.

Verbs in the English language are a lexical and morphologically distinct part of speech which describes an action, an event, or a state. ... In linguistics, an auxiliary or helping verb is a verb whose function it is to give further semantic information about the main or full verb which follows it. ... Tag questions (or: question tags) are a grammatical structure in which a declarative statement or an imperative is turned into a question by adding an interrogative fragment (the tag). // Forms and uses In most languages, tag questions are more common in colloquial spoken than in formal written usage. ... The English modal auxiliary verbs are will and would shall and should may and might can and could must ought to Modal auxiliary verbs help other verbs express a meaning or an idea but have no meaning by themselves. ...

Vocabulary

• Phrasal verbs - Phrasal verbs in English cause a lot of problems for most learners. This is because many phrasal verbs have several meanings and because of the different syntactic patterns.
• Word derivation - Word derivation in English requires a lot of rote learning. For example, an adjective can be negated by using the prefix un- (eg unable), or in- (eg inappropriate) or dis- (eg dishonest).
• Size of lexicon - The history of English has resulted in a very large vocabulary. (Schmitt & Marsden claim that it has one of the largest vocabularies of any known language.) This inevitably requires more work for a learner to really master the language.

In the English language, a phrasal verb is a verb combined with a preposition, an adverb, or an adverbial particle, all three of which are uninflected. ... In linguistics, derivation is the process of creating new lexemes from other lexemes, for example, by adding a derivational affix. ... Rote learning, is a learning technique which avoids grasping the inner complexities and inferences of the subject that is being learned and instead focuses on memorizing the material so that it can be recalled by the learner exactly the way it was read or heard. ... Look up prefix in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... English is a West Germanic language that originated from the Old Saxon language and related dialects brought to Britain by Germanic settlers from various parts of northwest Germany. ...

Differences between spoken and written English

• Spelling - Because of the many changes in pronunciation which have occurred since a written standard developed, 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 utilities like Spell checkers more than speakers of other languages, as the users of the spell checker may have forgotten, or never learned, the correct spelling of a word. The generalizations which 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 orally but not be able to write it correctly, or they may see a word written but not know how to pronounce it or mislearn the pronunciation.

A spelling bee is a competition where contestants, usually children, are asked to spell English words. ... In computing terms, a spelling checker (also spell checker) is a software program designed to verify the spelling of words in a file, helping a user ensure his/her spelling is correct. ...

Varieties of English

• English is spoken natively by a large and diverse population on every continent, and consequently has some noticeable differences in pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar across different regions and across different social strata. Most languages are spoken in geographically more compact areas, usually just in a small number of countries or even a single state, and are often to some degree managed by a specific organisation that determines the most prestigious form of the language. Since many students of English study it to enable them to communicate internationally, the lack of a uniform international standard for the language poses some barriers to meeting that goal.

Exams for learners

Learners of English are often keen to get accreditation and a number of exams are known internationally:

• IELTS (International English Language Testing System), accepted by most tertiary academic institutions in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, and by many in the USA
• TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), an Educational Testing Service test of English language proficiency for academic purposes, accepted primarily in the USA
• TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication), an Educational Testing Service test of English language proficiency for business purposes
• Cambridge ESOL General English exams including FCE, CAE and CPE

ESOL learners in England, Wales and Northern Ireland usually take the national Skills for Life qualifications which are offered by several exam boards. International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is a test of English language proficiency. ... The Test Of English as a Foreign Language (or TOEFL, pronounced toe-full, or sometimes just toffle) evaluates the potential success of an individual to use and understand Standard American English at a college level. ... The Educational Testing Service (or ETS) is the worlds largest private educational testing and measurement organization, operating on a annual budget of approximately $900 million. ... Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) measures the ability of non-native English-speaking people to use English in everyday work activities. ... The Educational Testing Service (or ETS) is the worlds largest private educational testing and measurement organization, operating on a annual budget of approximately $900 million. ... The University of Cambridge ESOL examinations are examinations in English language ability for non-native speakers of English. ...

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 Palace of Europe in Strasbourg The Council of Europe (French: Conseil de lEurope, German: Europarat) is an international organisation of 46 member states in the European region. ... The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment, or CEF, is a guideline used to describe achievements of learners of foreign languages across Europe. ...

The Common European Framework 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:

The Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE) is an association of language exam providers. ... International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is a test of English language proficiency. ... The University of Cambridge ESOL examinations are examinations in English language ability for non-native speakers of English. ... The University of Cambridge ESOL examinations are examinations in English language ability for non-native speakers of English. ... The University of Cambridge ESOL examinations are examinations in English language ability for non-native speakers of English. ... Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) measures the ability of non-native English-speaking people to use English in everyday work activities. ... The Test Of English as a Foreign Language (or TOEFL, pronounced toe-full, or sometimes just toffle) evaluates the potential success of an individual to use and understand Standard American English at a college level. ...

Qualifications for teachers

Non-native speakers

Many non-native speaking teachers who only work in their own country are qualified with the relevant teaching qualification of that country. Those who work in private language schools and in other countries often have the same qualifications as native speakers (see below).

US qualifications

Most US teachers at the Community College level and above qualify by taking an MA in TESOL. This degree also qualifies them to teach in most EFL contexts as well. In some areas of the country, nearly all elementary school teachers are involved in teaching ELLs (English Language Learners, ie children who come to school speaking a home language other than English.) The qualifications for these classroom teachers vary from state to state.

British qualifications

Common, respected qualifications for teachers within the British sphere of influence include certificates and diplomas issued by UCLES (University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate) and Trinity International Examinations Board of Trinity College, London. Cambridge Assessment Logo The University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate or UCLES Group is a department of the University of Cambridge in England. ... IS THERE ANY GREAT MINDED PERSON THERE CAN MAKE MY FAULTS COME IN RIGHT ? THE FOLLOWING IS MY BELIVE OF LIFE: 0= GOD. 1= ME. 2= YOU. 3= CIVILIZATION. 4= SOCIETY. 5= LAW. 6= PEACE. 7= WORK ( SO CALLED LUCKY) 8= ACHIEVEMENT. 9= HAVEN OR HELL UP TO THE WORK...

A certificate course is usually undertaken before starting to teach. This is sufficient for many EFL jobs and for some ESOL ones. UCLES offers the CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults), perhaps the most widely taken and accepted course for new teacher trainees. It is often taught full-time over a 1-month period or part-time over a period up to a year. Trinity offer the CertTESOL (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) which is considered equivalent to the CELTA. CELTA, the Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults, is a qualification awarded by the University of Cambridge English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), a part of Cambridge University. ... The Certificate in TESOL (CertTESOL) is a professional qualification awarded in the teaching of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) by Trinity College (London). ...

Teachers usually have two or more years of teaching experience and intend to stay in the profession before they take a diploma course. Teachers who want to move into school management or become teacher trainers usually need a diploma. UCLES offers the DELTA (Diploma in English Language Teaching to Adults). Trinity offers the LTCL DipTESOL (Trinity Licentiate Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). There are usually considered to be equivalent. DELTA, the Diploma in English Language Teaching to Adults, is a professional qualification awarded by the University of Cambridge English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), a part of Cambridge University. ... The Licentiate Diploma in TESOL (LTCL DipTESOL) is a professional qualification awarded in the teaching of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) by Trinity College (London). ...

Some teachers who stay in the profession go on to do an MA in a relevant discipline such as applied linguistics or TESOL. A Master of Arts is a postgraduate academic masters degree awarded by universities in North America and the United Kingdom (excluding the ancient universities of Scotland and Oxbridge. ... Applied linguistics is concerned with using linguistic theory to address real-world problems. ...

The above qualifications are well-respected within the UK ESOL sector. 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 (ie adult education), teachers need to have the Certificate in Further Education Teaching Stage 3 and the Certificate for ESOL Subject Specialists, both at level 4. Recognised qualifications which confer one or both of these include a PGCE in ESOL, the CELTA module 2 and City & Guilds 9488. The Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) - sometimes known as the Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) - is a one-year course in the UK for existing undergraduate degree holders leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), which is needed to become a teacher in maintained (state or local authority) schools. ... CELTA, the Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults, is a qualification awarded by the University of Cambridge English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), a part of Cambridge University. ... The City and Guilds of London Institute was founded by the London Livery Companies for the purpose of training craftsmen and engineers in 1878. ...

Professional associations

• 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 organizations such as CATESOL in California and Illinois TESOL•BE
• IATEFL is the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language, a professional organization based in Britain.
• Several other professional organisations for teachers of English exist at local and regional levels such as the 'Society of Pakistan English Language Teachers' (SPELT) in Pakistan, BELTA in Bangladesh, SLELTA in Sri Lanka, NELTA in Nepal, MELTA in Malaysia, and TESOL Arabia in the Gulf states, just to name a few.
• NATECLA is the National Association for Teaching English and other Community Languages to Adults, a British-based organisation which is focused on teaching ESOL in Britain

TESOL Inc. ... IATEFL International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language IATEFL was founded in 1967 in the United Kingdom IATEFL works primarily to develop networks amongst related institutions and those who teach the English language, educate or train language teachers, administer EFL and ESL programmes, write and publish relevant...

Acronyms and abbreviations

See also: Language education for information on general language teaching acronyms and abbreviations. Language education is the teaching and learning of a language or languages, usually as foreign languages. ...

• CELTA - Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults
• DELTA - Diploma in English Language Teaching to Adults
• 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
• 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
• ESD - English as a second dialect

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 special purposes, or English for specific purposes (e.g. technical English, scientific English, English for medical professionals, English for waiters).
• IELTS - International English Language Testing System
• TEFL - Teaching English as a foreign language

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.

• 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

CELTA, the Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults, is a qualification awarded by the University of Cambridge English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), a part of Cambridge University. ... DELTA, the Diploma in English Language Teaching to Adults, is a professional qualification awarded by the University of Cambridge English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), a part of Cambridge University. ... Lingua franca, literally Frankish language in Italian, was originally a mixed language consisting largely of Italian plus a vocabulary drawn from Turkish, Persian, French, Greek and Arabic and used for communication throughout the Middle East. ... A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος, dialektos) is a variety of a language used by people from a particular geographic area. ... International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is a test of English language proficiency. ... TEFL, or Teaching English as a Foreign Language, refers to teaching English in non-English-speaking regions to students for whom it is not their mother tongue (see EFL). ... The Test Of English as a Foreign Language (or TOEFL, pronounced toe-full, or sometimes just toffle) evaluates the potential success of an individual to use and understand Standard American English at a college level. ... Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) measures the ability of non-native English-speaking people to use English in everyday work activities. ... Cambridge Assessment Logo The University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate or UCLES Group is a department of the University of Cambridge in England. ... The University of Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world, with one of the most selective sets of entry requirements in the United Kingdom. ...

See also

Language terminology

• Second language
• Foreign language

A second language is any language other than the first, or native, language learned; it is typically used because of geographical or social reasons. ... A foreign language is a language not spoken by the indigenous people of a certain place: for example, English is a foreign language in Japan. ...

General language teaching and learning

• Language education
• Second language acquisition
• Applied linguistics

Language education is the teaching and learning of a language or languages, usually as foreign languages. ... Second language acquisition, or SLA, is the process by which people learn languages in addition to their native tongue(s). ... Applied linguistics is concerned with using linguistic theory to address real-world problems. ...

English language teaching and learning

• Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)
• TESOL
• Non-native pronunciations of English

TEFL, or Teaching English as a Foreign Language, refers to teaching English in non-English-speaking regions to students for whom it is not their mother tongue (see EFL). ... Language education is the teaching and learning of a language or languages, usually as foreign languages. ... Non-native pronunciations of English result from the common linguistic phenomenon in which non-native speakers of the English language, as is the case with non-native users of any language, tend to carry the intonation, phonological processes, and pronunciation rules from their mother tongue into their English speech. ...

Contemporary English

• English language
• American and British English differences

The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... This article outlines the differences between American English, the form of the English language spoken in the United States, and Commonwealth English (often called British English). ...

Other

• Ruth Hayman - ESL pioneer

Ruth Hayman (d. ...

External links

• Directory of EAL sites at the Open Directory Project
• Internet ESL Journal
• Teacher Resources
• Association of Language testers in Europe, ALTE