English as a Foreign or Second
Language
See also: Language education and Second
language acquisition
An immigrant makes an American breakfast,
aided by instructional materials from the
YMCA, 1918.
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 speak-
ers with a different native language. The pre-
cise usage, including the different use of the
terms ESL and ESOL in different countries, is
described below. These terms are most com-
monly used in relation to teaching and learn-
ing English, but they may also be used in re-
lation to demographic information.
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 ab-
breviations TESL (teaching English as a
second language), TESOL (teaching English
to speakers of other languages) and TEFL
(teaching English as a foreign language) are
also used.
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). Some
terms that refer to those who are learning
English are ELL (English language learner),
LEP (limited English proficiency) and CLD
(culturally and linguistically diverse).
Terminology and types
The many acronyms used in the field of Eng-
lish teaching and learning may be confusing.
English is a language with great reach and
influence; it is taught all over the world un-
der many different circumstances. In English-
speaking countries, English language teach-
ing has essentially evolved in two broad dir-
ections: instruction for people who intend to
live in an English-speaking country and for
those who don’t. These divisions have grown
firmer as the instructors of these two "indus-
tries" have used diffe