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“Analysis of needs”
The term “analysis of needs” first appeared when Michael West introduced the concept of “needs” to cover what learners will be required to do with the foreign language in the target situation and how learners might best master the language during the period of learning. -
Emergence of ESP as a single field
The emergence of ESP resulted from many occurrences like the second world war in 1945, the growth of science and technology, the increased use of English as the international language of science, education, technology, and business, or the increased economic power of certain oil-rich countries. (Rahman, 2015) -
'English for Specific Purposes’ appears
The term, ‘English for Specific Purposes’ appeared at the Makerere Conference (Commonwealth Education Committee in 1961). However, the key stage in ESP is needs analysis. Needs analysis is the cornerstone of ESP and leads to a focused course. (Rahman, 2015) -
The Register Analysis Phase
It is understood that language varies in relation to the different people who speak it and in relation to the different purposes to which it is put. Researchers conclude that, since there is variation in language, there must be different and distinct varieties of particular languages. (García Mayo, 1998) -
The rhetorical or discourse analysis phase
The development of ESP shifted attention to the level above the sentence, as ESP became closely involved with the emerging field of discourse and rhetorical analysis. The leading figures in this movement were Henry Widdowson in Britain and the so-called Washington School of Larry Selinker, Louis Trimble, John Lackstrom, and Mary Todd-Trimble in the United States.
The focus was thus on the sentence, and on the writer's purpose rather than on form. (García Mayo, 1998) -
The target situation analysis
This stage in ESP development aimed to take the existing knowledge and set it on a more scientific basis by establishing procedures for relating language analysis more closely to the learner's reasons for learning.
The ESP course design process should proceed by first identifying the target situation and then carrying out a rigorous analysis of the linguistic features of that situation (Needs analysis). (García Mayo, 1998) -
The ESP Journal
Tarone and her colleagues focussed on one arguably central characteristic of scientific prose, syntactic voice, as it had been argued that about 25 percent of the verbs in research articles are in the passive.
An important turning point for ESP, with rhetorical concerns, particularly as they were inferred from “devices” within the text, becoming a central research focus. (Johns, 2013). -
The Aston ESP Research Reports. (Genre)
John Swales published his seminal research into the discourse structure of research article introductions in the Aston ESP Research Reports. (Paltridge, & Starfield, 2014). -
The skills and strategies approach
The principal idea behind the skills and strategies approach is that underlying all language use there are common reasoning and interpreting processes, which, regardless of the surface forms, enable us to extract meaning from discourse. There is no need to focus closely on the surface forms of the language. The focus should rather be on the interpretive strategies which enable the learner to cope with the surface forms. (Blogaslaph, 2019) -
A learning-centered approach and genre analysis
ESP gave emphasis on how learning will be attained and how learners will learn. (Johns, 2013). -
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Dominance of "Genre"
The dominance of genre in ESP research, since Swales’ Genre Analysis (1990) initiated a remarkably productive topic for scholars. This interest in (expository) genres continues to enrich research both within the ESP community and among genre theorists and practitioners from other theoretical schools. (Paltridge & Starfield, 2014). -
The Journal of Second Language Writing (JSLW)
The Journal of Second Language Writing (JSLW) was founded by Ilona Leki and Tony Silva; and though many of its early articles focussed on writing processes or student errors, later on articles with ESP interests were published. (Paltridge & Starfield, 2014). -
Modern age in ESP.
Articles about academic argumentation, text analysis, and other issues that overlap with ESP interests appeared with increasing frequency. (Paltridge & Starfield, 2014). -
The social action of genres
ESP genre studies have aimed to go beyond descriptions of texts, to exploring the social action of genres, their socially situated nature and the role the genre is playing in the particular setting. Genre studies have also increasingly looked at the multimodal nature of texts, especially with the increase in digital genres which students and practitioners need to be able to engage in, in contemporary academic and workplace settings. (Paltridge & Starfield, 2014).
